The Crucible
by mangoaddict
Summary: Second in my Salvation series. Tess struggles to become the Queen again. If you don't like Tess, you won't like this. You are welcome to read it, but consider yourself warned.
1. The Obliterated

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's Note: This is the second part of my Salvation series. There will be five short stories in all, and you should read Prologue: Checkmate first to understand what is happening here.

Please read and review.

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crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

Chapter One: The Obliterated

Three months after Checkmate:

"_You lived another life, Max...a life completely different from this one...a life when you loved me." _

"_I don't remember that."_

The desert stretched for miles, shimmering in the sweltering heat. The dunes of dark red sand rose and fell in a gentle rolling motion, reminiscent of waves. It was a barren wasteland without any form of life, plant or animal. At the western horizon line, a range of mountains rose like a hazy mirage, distant and faint.

Myth had it that, several millennia ago, the desert had been a beautiful forest. But it had also been the sight of a great battle between demons and the people of Antar. The Antarians had won, pushing the demons back into their lairs beneath the earth, but at a great cost. The forest had been burnt down, and many people, animals, and plants had died. Since that day, nothing had ever grown on the land, and the rocks had turned red, stained with the blood of the fallen heroes.

A long figure stood on the dunes and looked around. She appeared tiny and insignificant in the great expanse of wilderness. Her blonde hair stuck to her sweaty face and neck, and her pale skin had turned red with heat and sunburn. She clutched an infant to her chest as though it was the most prized thing in the world.

The figure hesitated for a moment, then continued walking resolutely across the land. It was impossible to tell where she had come from or where she was going. The closest civilization was far away, across the distant mountains. She could not have come from there, she would have died long before reaching her present position. She could not be going there, she would die long before reaching the cities.

But she walked resolutely on.

"_Liz is human. She has nothing to do with us."_

"_No, you have nothing to do with us."_

The figure carried a bag over one shoulder and another on her back. She staggered under the heavy load. Inside the cloth sacks, she carried the precious little water and food that she had. It had to last her and her son until they reached somewhere else. Somewhere safe.

She stumbled, clutching her son with one hand and reaching out with the other to break her fall. She dropped to her knees, the hot sand burning the palm of her hand. Her pants were torn and the skin of her legs scratched, as though she had fallen numerous times.

She stayed on her knees for a moment, then licked her dry lips and stood up slowly. She shifted the sleeping child to her other arm, resting him in the crook of her elbow. She hobbled painfully on, not even taking a moment to rest her wearied eyes.

"_How did I ever fall in love with someone like you? How did I marry you?"_

"_You were different then, you were a king. Now you're just a boy."_

The child whimpered and she paused to whisper comforting words. The baby relaxed for a moment, then tensed again and let forth a tiny wail. She frantically hushed the boy, looking around her as though worried that someone would hear her son's cries.

She needn't have bothered, there was no one there to hear.

She was alone, a single figure casting only the tiniest shadow across the vast stretch of sand and sun.

"_You're still in love with her, aren't you?" _

"_It's hard to describe what I feel for Liz."_

"_I know. It's what you and I used to have."_

She trudged onward, and above her the sun began it's slow descent behind the distant mountains. The sky was suddenly lit with crimson waves of light, but the beauty of the glorious sunset was lost on the lone wanderer. She had come so far, and had so far left to go. She walked on.

Finally, when her legs would no longer support her weight, she collapsed to the ground. She carefully swaddled the sleeping infant in a soft piece of cloth and then let herself stretch out next to him. She stared up at the sky, watching as the final ray of light disappeared and the world was thrown into inky blackness.

There was not a cloud in sight. The moon and stars shone brilliant, casting a soft glow upon the land below. The desert seemed less harsh in the gentle light of the night sky.

The air was still hot.

The figure peered at each of the stars, wondering around which one the planet she once called home orbited. She smiled to herself, struck by the irony of her search. When she was on Earth, she would stare at the night sky and speculate about which star was the Antarian sun. Now she stared up at the Antarin night sky and wondered which star was the Earth's sun.

Her idea of home had changed.

"_Listen, I just want you to know if anything goes wrong... if you're not able to go home, then you have a home here. That your child has a home here too. I mean, you're uh, you're both part of this family now. We'll figure out what's wrong with the baby. We'll find a way."_

She twisted slightly and glanced at her son. He slept peacefully, his eyes closed softly. He looked so much like his father. Black hair, strong jaw, narrowing eyebrows. He was a tiny replica of the one-time king.

Except for the eyes. His brilliant blue eyes, now closed in slumber, were his mother's. So much like his mother's, that when his eyes were open, she swore she could see herself staring through them.

They were supposed to be a family, happy and full of promise. They were supposed to move out into an apartment and raise their son together. They were supposed to… She sighed and mentally forced herself to think about other topics. Dwelling on what could have been would do her no good.

And yet…

It was difficult. Because she had almost had that life, because for a few brief moments it had lingered just at the tips of her fingers, and she had played the fool, thinking she could have it.

"_Well, when I healed Brody…I saw these -- these flashes, of Brody, of Larek, but also…"_

"_But also what?"_

"_I remember you."_

How long had it been since he had uttered those words to her? A simple 'I remember you,' and everything in her life had seemed so right. How long had it been since she had felt that way?

Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Decades?

No, she knew the answer to that. Only months. Just a few months since she had stepped into that swirling mass of energy and disappeared across the universe, hurtling through space to an unknown planet and an unknown life.

She shivered suddenly, unnaturally cold in the stifling heat. How did it end up like this? She cast her thoughts back, trying to remember the past. It was only a few months ago, not long at all, but it seemed like an eternity. So much had happened, so much had changed.

She had changed.

And it all came back to that one fateful day in the Granolith chamber. To those few words that had been uttered that had forever sealed her fate.

"_Tess did it! Tess killed Alex!"_

She stood up abruptly, angry and restless. How could they have not seen the truth that stared them in the eyes? How could they have rushed to condemn her so quickly? With their history of bizarre and inexplicable events, how could they not have considered every possibility before calling her a murderer? But she knew the answer to that as well.

How easy it was to blame the hated, the outcast, the stranger.

Did they think of her as often as she thought of them? Did they remember her? Or did they try to forget? Did they push her far back into the recesses of their minds where she could no longer torment them with her 'disloyalty?' Or did they spend every moment thinking of her, hurt and scared at the way she had 'betrayed them.

The vengeful part of her hoped that it was the second one.

But the other part, the logical part, the part that told her that they had been played by Khivar, that they were only reacting to what they saw and heard, that part reminded her gently not to be to harsh on them.

But after three months of hell, the logical part had grown weaker. It now only whispered at her, whereas months before it had roared. Let them suffer. What did it matter to her?

Pushing herself into a sitting position, she closed her eyes and allowed the images of the past few months to play across the backs of her tired eyelids. She could see herself huddled in the Granolith, alone and scared, pressed up against the cool metal walls that surrounded her like a prison. She remembered grappling with the controls, trying to adjust her flight pattern. Somehow, from somewhere deep in the alcoves of her mind, she had managed to come up with the information needed to take her to Larek.

And then there had been the arrival. The men had crowed around her spaceship, pressing in close to catch sight of the strange foreigner who had landed on their peaceful world. And she had stood, trying to maintain any and all composure, and ordered them to take her to Larek.

And that was where it had all began.

The battle she now waged against Khivar, the one that had sent her and her son into the great desert, the one that had ruined her life, it had started at that moment. When she had first gazed upon Larek's planet and asked to be taken to the only friend she had left in the world, that moment had changed everything.

Somewhere along the way, she had crossed over an invisible line, and there was no going back.

Because as much as she hated her 'family' on Earth, it was Khivar that she hated more. She had spent three months with members of the Resistance, seeing first hand what the ruthless skin King did to those who did not support him.

She had seen battle fields covered with red blood and dead bodies. She had smelled the acrid smoke from burning flesh, had choked on the bitter air that lingered over the ransacked and plundered villages. She had heard the screams of dying men, the terrified wails of children separated from their mothers, the furious ring of metal on metal as the battle raged across the planet.

She had experienced war.

And Khivar had threatened to kill her and her son, to kill the Royals left on Earth and their human friends, to obliterate the entire universe if he needed to, as long as it removed the opposition to his rule.

Obliterate it all like he had obliterated her, taking away the life she had once cherished and the people she had once called family.

And the vengeful part spoke up again, asking insidiously why she was protecting the others on Earth. Did she care what happened to them? They had betrayed her, these one-time friends. They had sent her to hell. They had taken all she had ever wanted, and trampled on it, mocking her. They had taken everything she had ever sacrificed for them, and thrown it back in her face, cold and uncaring.

But another part spoke up. Not the logical one which had gone into hiding. A different part of her, the one that still clung to the tiny shred of hope that maybe some day everything would turn out alright. That part of her spoke up, reminding her why she was doing this. Why she was fighting. Why she was going through hell. Why she was sacrificing everything she held dear in this never ending battle against an enemy so much stronger than herself.

Because somewhere out there, out in the great expanse of inky blackness, on some tiny planet circling an insignificant star, there was something worth saving.

"_Yeah, well...you're my favorite Martian."

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_In case you hadn't guessed, this is where my story is going to end up. The next chapters will be leading up to this point. However (and this is a little confusing) this is where my _final _story is going to end up. Which means that this point will not be reached during _this _story, and you will have to keep reading my next stories to find out how Tess ended up in the desert, and how she gets out of it. I know, it is a shameless ploy to ensure that you keep reading the entire series... :)

Next Chapter: Only One Regret

Due: Thursday 11/10


	2. Only One Regret

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's Note: This story takes place over the course of two weeks, and each chapter is a new day. I've placed the day number at the start of each chapter, so that you can keep track. Also, for the sake of clarity in this story, I'm pretending that everybody on other planets speaks English. I'm a big fan of the Kyle-Tess-Jim family dynamic, so that will show in this story.

Re: Denethor's Angel: Don't worry, Tess will not forgive the gang to quickly. I'm actually not sure if she is going to forgive them at all. She is currently on the other side of the Universe from them, so, since I don't have to write her reaction to them quite yet, I haven't even given it any thought.

Re: Ellethiel: I agree with you completely. I always thought it was kind of selfish of the aliens to decide not to return home. I mean, I know a lot of people think that it was unfair of the Antarian rebels to expect the Royal Four to give up their lives to save a people they did not remember, but these are lives they wouldn't have even had if it wasn't for the Resistance. If the writers wanted to make a show that focused on the aliens and their relationships with the humans, they shouldn't have decided to make the aliens royalty. But they are royal, and royalty have responsibilities, especially the king, and staying on Earth with Liz just seemed like the show was taking the easy way out. Okay, that's the end of my rant...

Re: Mony19: Glad you like it so far! I agree with you about Tess. She had so much potential, and the writers ruined it all. Even if, in the end, they didn't want to put her with Max, they still didn't have to make her evil. It could be a dreamer and a 'good Tess' story.

Re: Jade: Actually, we aren't going to see the Earth gang for a while. I am right now focused mostly on Tess and her current struggles to stay alive and keep her son safe and regain her title as Queen. But the rest still on Earth will discover the truth eventually, and we will get to see their reactions (and guilt) then.

Re: running wild22: Sorry it is confusing. I am trying to make the story as clear as possible, and the rest of the chapters will proceed in chronilogical order. I'm glad you are still reading.

As always, read and review

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crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

Only One Regret

Three Months Earlier

_Day 1_

Destiny. It was such a funny word. It meant so much and so little at the same time. It gave her a path to follow, straight and narrow. It gave her a set of steps to lead her through life. It answered the questions that burned in her mind every night. It gave her hope when she despaired, courage when she was scared, and guidance when she was lost. It was something for her to cling to when the rest of the world made no sense.

And when it was gone, it left her in utter misery.

Tess leaned over the balcony and stared at the garden below, one hand resting on her pregnant stomach. She watched as the sun set, mesmerized by the dancing rays of light that cascaded through the air. They had sunset on Earth, but never anything like this. The very air seemed to vibrate with red and gold light as the sun slipped below the horizon.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Tess spun around and stared at the man who had appeared behind her. "Larek," she breathed, relieved. "I thought you might be…"

"You're quite jumpy," Larek commented. He walked out onto the balcony, and a few rays of light fell across his face. Tess studied him, taking in his appearance. His skin held a slightly red tinge to it, his eyes were a dark green that seemed inhuman. He was a bit taller than the average Earth man, with long lanky limbs. But other than that, he appeared relatively human.

"Yes, I am," Tess admitted quietly, running a hand through her curls. "It's been a hard couple of days." Her eyes were haunted, windows to her tired soul.

"I know," Larek said sympathetically, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But you are safe here. We have kept your presence secret from everyone, save for myself and a few of my advisors. Don't worry. Khivar will never know."

"Thank you," Tess said gratefully. She turned and looked back out over the balcony. Below her, a small garden enclosed by stone walls sat peacefully still in the dusk. A small pond, a set of twisted trees with deep blue-green leaves, tall grass, and scattered red stones. "I don't know how to repay you for your generosity."

Larek frowned slightly at Tess and replied, "There is nothing to repay me for, Ava. I only wish that I could help you more, that I could tell you who it was that mind-warped this human… Kyle, is it?...into believing that you had killed the boy."

"I don't understand why someone would frame me for that," Tess agreed. "Although, I can tell you that I've narrowed down my list to one suspect." Her hands clenched tightly on the railing, her knuckles turning white. "Khivar."

Larek nodded gravely. "Indeed," he agreed. He too ran a hand through his hair. A few of the longer strands fell in front of his eyes and he brushed them away impatiently. "Then again, it was not too hard to come to that conclusion. Was there ever anyone else on your list of suspects?"

Tess sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "No, I guess there really wasn't." She looked away, a tinge of pink showing on her cheeks.

Larek frowned and said, "You're embarrassed about something." He stared at Tess for another moment, then realization dawned and he said abruptly, "You thought the human girl might have been behind it."

It wasn't a question.

Tess slammed her hand onto the railing at the mention of Liz and took a few steps away from Larek. "It was stupid, I know. I mean, Liz would not have had the power to mind-warp Kyle. And as much as I hate her, I also know that she would not have done this to me. She isn't evil, just… " she sighed and closed her eyes. "Just the person who stole the man I love."

"So I heard," Larek replied quietly.

Tess looked at him sharply. "He sold me out. He hated me from the moment I showed up, and then, once he had the chance, he betrayed me. To Khivar! He hated me enough that he was even willing to send his son away if it meant getting rid of me!"

Larek bit his lip, then countered diffidently, "Or maybe he loved his son enough that he was willing to let the women…the murderer…he thought had betrayed him escape if keeping her on Earth would have resulted in his son's death."

"_He_ should never have believed that about me in the first place!" Tess snarled. She turned back and looked out at the distant horizon. "He should never have believed that about _me_," she repeated softly, her eyes brimming with tears.

"No," Larek agreed. "No, he shouldn't have."

Tess glanced back at him, then looked down at her hands. "Why does it feel like this?" she whispered. "After everything he did, I still love him. I still want him to love me. After everything he did… He's on the other side of the universe, and he _still_ manages to haunt me. Why can't I stop loving him?" she gasped out the last sentence, her voice strangled with loss and hurt.

"Because you are still Ava. And Ava loved Zan more than life itself." Larek stepped up next to her and leaned on the edge of the balcony rail, staring out into the distance, a contemplative look on his face. "I was there, you know."

"Where?" Tess asked, shooting a confused look at Larek.

"At your wedding," Larek said softly. "It was _the_ event of the century." He sighed and shook his head. "Everything was so…dazzling. You looked like…like heaven. And Zan was so happy, his face seemed to glow. Zan's parents went all out on the ceremony. Flowers from every world, syrk from Byar, endolin and rubia from Nathor…"

"I don't recognize those words," Tess said, hesitantly.

Larek turned to her and frowned. "Syrk is a type of material. Like silk, only it has a metallic sheen to it. It comes from the planet Byar, which is one of the many worlds that Antar has…had…diplomatic relations with. Endolin is a type of metal, like silver or platinum, only it emits a faint gold glow. And rubia is a stone, a red one, darker than a ruby, and much more expensive."

"And they come from Nathor?" Tess asked. The words sounded strange on her tongue.

"Yes," Larek replied quietly. "Nathor is a planet in the Southern Beltway." At Tess' confused look, he elaborated, "The Southern Beltway is a string of stars and planets in our galaxy." He frowned and looked away.

"Larek?" Tess asked, not missing the disappointed look in Larek's eyes. "What is it?"

Larek shook his head and remained quiet for a moment. He thought back to the first time he had seen this new Ava, standing at the foot of his council chambers, looking tired, lost, and beaten. The story she told had been heartbreaking, wrenching, and awe-inspiring at the same time. How her family and friends had turned on her, how she had escaped with the Granolith, how she had somehow managed to arrive on his planet.

She had been found by a family merchants who lived in one of the small villages outside of the capital. They had seen her strange ship crash to the ground, and had gone to investigate. They had been startled to find a foreigner who spoke with an odd accent stepping from the wreckage.

Larek had no idea how Ava had convinced them to both take her to Larek and keep her presence on the planet a secret. But she had managed it, and they held their silence.

Upon reaching the palace, she had been taken to Larek. He had rewarded the family that had found her, and reiterated how important it was for them to refrain from spreading the news of her appearance. He had then quickly taken her to guest chambers where she could be alone. As he had left her there, he had heard her sobbing quietly to herself.

Now, two days later, he had told only a few of his advisers the truth about the strange woman and the strange ship. His most trusted guard had kept an eye on the merchant family, but they had held to their oaths and not told anyone of Ava. It was imperative that she was kept hidden. If Khivar found out she was here…

Well, Khivar would demand that she be delivered to Antar, and he would most likely kill her. And since Larek's world was, _technically_, impartial, he would be forced to hand over Ava or risk having the other worlds turn on him.

But the thought of handing Ava over to the that madman of a king…

"Larek?" Tess cut into his thoughts. "Tell me what you are thinking." It was not a request.

At last, choosing his words carefully, Larek said, "It's just…when you first arrived here, seeking sanctuary from Khivar, I was so thrilled to see you. I thought, at last we would have the Queen of Antar back. But now…I guess I am just realizing how little you remember about the other life. And how different you are from the Ava I knew, the one I watched marry Zan."

Tess stiffened. "I am still the Queen," she snapped.

"I don't deny that," Larek replied, lifting his hands quickly in surrender. "And even without your memories, you are still the wife of one of my best friends. But Ava, I am not the one you are going to have to convince. It is the people of Antar that are going to have to accept you. And getting them to do that will be no easy task."

The two lapsed into silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Larek was thinking about the past, about the first time he and Zan had seen Ava, at the beach at Tel'ai. She had been sitting on Dimaras Rock…

But Tess was thinking about the future, and about her son. She wanted him to be safe and happy, somewhere far away from this planet. Some place where he could just be a boy, instead of a prince, a heir to the throne. On some planet, where he could have a loving family and a peaceful, secure, and happy childhood.

But where could she send him? Who would she trust with her son?

" _Listen, I just want you to know if anything goes wrong... if you're not able to go home, that you have a home here. That your child has a home here too. I mean, you're uh, you're both part of this family now. We'll figure out what's wrong with the baby. We'll find a way."_

_Tess looked up at the man she had come to think of as her father and felt the tears prick at her eyes. She smiled at him, and whispered, "Thank you."_

_Jim stood up and smiled down at his sort-of daughter. "Sure. I'll go get some more warm water." He turned to leave the room, but Tess' voice called him back._

"_Thanks…Dad."_

_He looked at her, raising an eyebrow questioningly. _

"_I just wanted to see what it sounded like," Tess explained, blushing slightly._

"_How'd it sound?" Jim asked._

_Tess hesitated, then admitted, "A little too weird."_

"_Yeah…" Jim agreed slowly._

"_Yeah..." Tess whispered, closing her eyes against the sudden wave of pain that washed through her abdomen. _

Calling Jim Dad had felt weird…so weird…and yet… It had also felt right. But she had been scared and tired, sick, confused, and still not so sure how to act human. And so she had told him it felt too weird.

But she would trust him with her son.

Not that it mattered. Her son could not survive in Earth's atmosphere.

"I've arranged a meeting with a few of my advisors," Larek said abruptly, rubbing his eyes and turning away from the sun. "The ones who know that you are here. We are going to talk about what we should do. Would you like to join us?"

Tess nodded. "Yes, I would." She stretched her arms and turned to look at Larek. "I will be Queen, I might as well start getting involved in my battles."

"Alright," Larek said. "I will come and get you when the time comes." He turned and was gone, leaving Tess alone to her troubled thoughts.

So much had gone wrong in her life, but all of the pain and heartbreak she endured paled in comparison to what was ahead of her. A life on her own, without the people she had come to love, far away from the planet she had come to consider home.

And then, quite suddenly, standing on the balcony watching the strange sun sink below the horizon, contemplating an unknown future on an unknown planet, and facing a long and painful fight against a powerful, cruel, and ruthless enemy, she realized there was only one thing she truly regretted.

She wished she hadn't told Jim it sounded too weird to call him Dad.

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Next Chapter: The Council Meeting 

Due: Tuesday 11/15


	3. The Council Meeting

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: First of all, thank you to all who reviewed. I love getting them, (and Ellelthiel-your review was neither too long nor pointless). Instead of answering specific reviews, I am doing a sort of bulk answer. So, here goes:

I don't think this story is going to end up as a rebel story, at least not in the traditional sense of the word. It is mostly because I really don't like Max. I mean, his wife comes to town and shows them all who they were in the passed life. She answers his questions, helps him escape the white room, saves their lives dozens of times (remember New York, Max?), and what does he do? Reject her.  
Now, I don't believe in the whole 'Tess killed Alex' deal. I mean, it totally ruined the show (noticed how it got _canceled_?) So, in that case, Max gets his wife pregnant and sends her off to his sworn enemy. Brilliant.  
Now let us suppose that we actually do buy into the 'Tess killed Alex' thing. In which case, Max breaks Liz' heart, impregnates an evil murderer, sends her away with his unborn son, and then actually has the nerve to ask Liz to take him back.  
And Liz does take him back. So I guess that was the point where I stopped liking Liz.  
Also, to answer a few of the questions and comments that have arisen, I already have an idea of how Max is going to find out about how Alex really died. And yes, I am following the show to a certain extent for season three, although since I am currently not on Earth, that doesn't really matter at the moment. But a few things will happen that will tie in with the events of season three. And lastly, yes, we all like Larek. I ended up writing him into the story a lot more than I was originally going to, because I decided Tess needed at least one friend.

Sorry this chapter is going to be a little slow. It is mostly just a filler so that I can get to the real meat of the story, but it does explain a few things. I promise the next chapter will have more action in it.

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crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

The Council Meeting

_Day 2_

It was a large room, shaped liked a circle. In the center of the room, three long tables were arranged into a U shape, with a smaller table sitting at the head of the U. The floor was carpeted with a lush green rug. The room was on the fifth floor of the palace, well above ground level. One side of the room was entirely windows that looked out over a large body of water. The other three walls were covered with portraits of past rulers, each wearing the somewhat gaudy golden crown.

At each of the three long tables, men and women clustered together, peering at maps and files of paper, discussing plans and counter plans in an undertone. As Larek and Tess entered the room, they all turned and stood to attention, nodding respectfully to Larek. But all eyes were fixed on Tess, and they stared at her with open wonder.

Tess shifted, uncomfortable, and followed Larek to the front of the room. Larek took a seat at the small head table and gestured for Tess to do the same. Once she was seated, the other occupants in the room seated themselves as well.

"Ava, let me introduce the others in this room," Larek said formally. He nodded to the man sitting directly to Tess' right. "This is Lord Audin. He is the diplomat to my world from the planet Byor. As I told you earlier, Byor had diplomatic relations with Antar under Zan's rule. He is sympathetic to your cause."

Audin nodded to Tess and rapped his fist sharply against his chest. Tess nodded her head respectfully, assuming that the fist-to-chest gesture was some form of salute. She studied Audin for a moment, taking in his dark skin and black eyes. Like Larek, he was taller than the average human, but he was stocky as well, with thick limbs and a tree-like torso. She thought fleetingly that this was not a man she would want to face in battle.

"Next to Audin is Lady Arya," Larek continued, pointing to a tall, willowy woman, with silver hair and silver eyes. Even her skin seemed silver. "She was the regional ruler from the province of Tel'ai, in Southern Antar. She is a member of the Resistance against Khivar, and was recently disposed from Tel'ai when Khivar found out about her true loyalties."

Tel'ai. Tess recognized the words instantly and murmured, "Dimaras Rock."

A murmured rippled through the others and Larek smiled softly. "Yes," he said. "It was in her region that you met Zan." There was a silence, then Larek continued, "And next we have General Khai. He was Rath's second in command, and one of the leading generals of the Royal Army under Zan."

Tess nodded to Khai. Strangely, the man did not nod back. He was staring at Tess with open hostility and contempt, his dark eyes seeming to mock her.

Larek hurried on. "Sria is one of my advisors, originally from the planet L'so in the Southern Beltway," he said, pointing to the woman who was sitting at the far back of the room. She was short and slightly stocky, with thick red hair and brilliant green eyes that regarded Tess with warmth.

"You may not remember me, my Lady," Sria said, her voice a rich contralto, "but you and I were quite good friends when we were younger. I was your Maid on Honor at your wedding."

Tess looked at the woman, startled, then turned to Larek for confirmation. He nodded shortly, and she felt a pang or loss for the life she no longer remembered. "I'm sorry I do not recognize you, Lady Sria," Tess said. "Perhaps my memories will return with time."

"Perhaps," Sria replied, nodding. "But I am not a Lady. Technically, I would be Advisor Sria, but as you are a Queen, you do not need to use titles. Just call me Sria."

Tess nodded, and Larek turned to the last two people in the room. They were a man and woman, both tall and thin like Larek. The man had dark skin and dark, friendly eyes. The woman was stunningly beautiful with pale skin, long blonde hair, and gentle blue eyes. "And these are Lotho and Kani. Lotho is my General and leader of my Royal Army. Kani is his very beautiful, very lovely wife. Unfortunately her taste in men leaves something to be desired." A ripple of laughter ran through the room, and Tess turned confused eyes to Larek. "We almost married, Kani and I," he whispered in an undertone.

"Now," Larek said, turning to the others in the room, "let's begin, shall we?"

Kani was the first to speak. "Obviously, our first concern is to provide for the safety of the Queen and the Heir. We, unfortunately, cannot keep Queen Ava's presence hidden from Khivar indefinitely."

"Ideally, Queen Ava would come to Antar and join the Resistance," Arya replied. Her voice was wispy, and seemed to float in the air. Lotho nodded in agreement, and Kani inclined her head to Arya, acknowledging the sense in her words. Khai, however, pursed his lips, and shook his head.

"What good would that do?" he demanded. "She does not remember her life before, does she? Taking Ava to the Resistance would only mean that they would end up having to baby-sit her."

"_Queen_ Ava," Sria hissed.

Khai rolled his eyes. "She is not the Queen," he spat back. "She is just a hybrid, one-half Ava. She remembers _nothing_."

Audin cut in before an argument could start. "Issues of respect aside, General Khai does have a point. What good could she do?" he asked gently, casting an apologetic glance at Tess. "She does not know how to fight or how to lead. At least here, she is safe."

"For how long?" Sria spoke up. "You know as well as I that Lord Larek cannot keep her here forever. What if Khivar were to find out? Lord Larek has declared, to the Council of the Worlds, that he is impartial in this matter, and harboring the Queen would be akin to proclaiming support for Zan."

"Then we have to make sure that Khivar does not hear of her presence," Lotho replied in a heavy baritone.

"Easier said than done," Larek interjected. "News will spread."

"How do we know he doesn't know already?" Tess asked. All eyes turned to her, and she glanced to Larek. "They know about what happened with Alex?" At Larek's nod of confirmation, she turned back to the others and pointed out, "If Khivar framed me, he must know that I left Earth. If I am not on Antar, wouldn't he automatically assume that I am here? Larek is the only one I remember."

This drew a murmur of agreement from the others and a few concerned looks were exchanged. "If Khivar knows, it is only a matter of time before he confronts you, Lord Larek," Lotho said solemnly.

"Perhaps it would be best if we took Queen Ava somewhere else?" Audin suggested. "I'm sure Byor would take her. Or L'so?" he finished, turning to Sria.

"Of course L'so would take her," Sria nodded.

"And then it would only be a matter of time before Khivar attacked one of those worlds. Sending Ava…_Queen_ Ava… to any place that is sympathetic to the Royals would not make a difference in her safety. Khivar would think to look there," Khai objected with a sneer.

"I don't think he framed you," Arya said softly.

Tess turned to Arya in confusion. "What?" she demanded.

Arya frowned and said, "I understand from Lord Larek that a human boy saw you kill this…Alex?" Tess nodded, and Arya continued, "Well, what if it was not a mind-warp? What if he actually saw it?"

"I didn't kill Alex," Tess snapped defensively.

"I never said you did," Arya replied, unperturbed by Tess' anger. "What I am saying is that the human boy saw you…or someone who looked like you… kill Alex."

"A shape-shifter?" Larek asked, intrigued. "Why do you think that, Arya?"

Arya leaned back in her seat and surveyed the others through half-closed eyes. "I know Khivar better than anyone else in this room. And I know that, if he knew Queen Ava was here, he would have already come after her. She is carrying an Heir, the greatest threat to Khivar's rule since the first Zan. He would not hesitate, for fear that she and her son would escape his grasp. Since he has not come for her, I can only conclude that he is unaware of her presence. And that means that he did not know she left Earth, and therefore did not frame her."

"It makes sense," Kani conceded. "But why would he send a shape-shifter to impersonate Queen Ava? What would he stand to gain by that?"

But Tess knew the answer. "The Granolith."

"What?" All eyes turned to her.

"Alex was killed because he was being mind-warped into translating the Destiny Book. Among other things, the Book had the location and operating instructions for the Granolith," Tess explained. She paused, then turned to Larek. "Although I am still not entirely sure what the Granolith is…"

"Strictly speaking, it is energy. Pure, unadulterated, powerful, energy," Lotho answered. His eyes gleamed as he spoke about it, as though he was speaking about a god. "Imagine all the powers of the Royal Four combined. Then imagine that amount multiplied by several thousands. That is the amount of power the Granolith holds."

"It was used to power the core of the ship that you returned in, but it can be used for many other things as well," Kani continued. "Time travel, space travel, manipulating DNA or molecular structure, powering electricity and technology, healing…"

"It is the power of the House of Yonor, which is the ruling house that King Zan belonged to," Sria added. "Legend has it that, every time a royal dies, their life force is added to the power of the Granolith."

"It is like the Royal seal," Larek finished.

Tess absorbed all of this in shocked silence. "Where is it now?" she asked.

"I have it," Larek replied. "I had Lotho bring me the core of this ship that you crashed in."

Again, Tess was silent, thinking over what she had learned. Her head was swimming with the incredible amount of information. Finally, she frowned slightly and asked, "But why would Khivar chose me to impersonate? Why not Max, Isabel, or Michael?"

Larek glanced at the others in the room and said quietly, "She is referring to the human hybrids of Zan, Vilandra, and Rath."

Tess noted the flash of fury that appeared momentarily in both Arya's and Khai's eyes at the mention of Vilandra. Even after all this time, some betrayals are not easy to forgive.

Some traitors don't deserve a second chance.

"Actually, that makes sense," Larek continued, turning to Tess. "Some shape-shifters have no powers on there own. Conversely, when they shift form, they take on the abilities of the person they have become. However, in order to shift, they must first have access to a sample of the original person's DNA." He looked down at his hands for a moment, then said, "These shape-shifters are some of Khivar's most elite assassins."

Tess raised an eyebrow. "So all they would have to do would be to break into my room, take a strand of hair from my hairbrush, use the DNA from that to shape-shift into me, and then they could mind-warp?"

"Yes," Sria said gravely.

"But the shape-shifter would have figured out what had happened, that I had left. And she would have told Khivar, and Khivar would have come for me," Tess objected.

"Not quite," Larek replied. "Yes, at some point, she would know what happened. But she has no way of telling Khivar. Because it was powered by the Granolith, your ship was one of the most powerful machines in the Universe. It brought you here in a single day. Whatever ship she has access to, it would take her at least two weeks."

"Can't she possess someone on Antar and talk to Khivar the way you possessed Brody?" Tess asked Larek.

"Not exactly," Larek explained. "You can only posses someone who uses a smaller percentage of their brain then you do. Possession takes place in the portion of the brain that we use, but that they do not. It is why we can posses humans, but they cannot possess us. Likewise, all members of the Outer Worlds-those planets that are in the same galaxy as Antar-use the same percentage of their brain, and therefore cannot possess each other. The shape-shifter would be out of touch with Khivar until she returned to Antar."

"When is the Heir due?" Audin spoke up quietly, his eyes fixed on Tess' slightly rounded stomach.

Tess placed a hand on her abdomen and felt her son kick. "Three or four days," she replied softly, a gentle smile creeping onto her face.

"So, theoretically, the Heir will be born before Khivar even knows of his existence? If we assume that Khivar does not know what is happening on Earth, then that means he does not know that Queen Ava is pregnant," Sria pointed out. "That will work in our favor."

"I still see a flaw in Arya's reasoning," Tess objected. "How do we know that Khivar has not possessed someone on Earth to keep tabs on the shape-shifter?"

"We don't," Arya replied. "All I can say is that I don't believe he would feel that he has a reason to. If he sent one of his elite assassins, he must assume that she will be successful. Once she completes her task, she will inform him. Until then, he has no reason to keep an eye on her."

"Besides," Kani added, "the Resistance has been very active lately. Khivar has other things on his mind."

"So, let me get this straight," Tess said quietly, rubbing her eyes. "A shape-shifter impersonates me and kills Alex. Kyle sees this, but the shape-shifter mind-warps him. He breaks out of the mind-warp and tells the others right before we get into the Granolith. I leave on my own. The shape-shifter will eventually find out, and contact Khivar, but, because she does not have the Granolith, it will take her about two weeks to reach Antar and report the news."

"Which means we have, at best, a two week window of opportunity in which to do something before Khivar realizes what has happened," Sria added.

A silence fell over the room, then Arya said, "I still think she should come to Antar and lead the Resistance. She will give them a hope they have not had in a long time."

"She will be a burden," Khai repeated his objection. "She does not have the knowledge of her past of life, of what it meant to be Queen."

"But she is still Ava," Arya countered. "Even without all the knowledge, she has what it takes to be the Queen she once was. She just has to relearn it."

"It took her years, _decades_, to become the Queen she was," Khai scoffed. "She cannot relearn it in two weeks."

"I can try," Tess cut in. Khai turned to look at her, and she held his gaze, her blue eyes filled with determination. "Arya is right, I _am_ still Ava. Teach me how to be a Queen."

* * *

Next Chapter: General Khai

Due: Friday 11/18

Please let me know if you have any questions about this chapter, I wasn't sure if everything in it is clear .


	4. General Khai

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything 

Author's note: Thanks to all who reviewed. This time around, I will answer specific reviews.

Re: Jade: General Khai is just a little suspicious of Tess. I mean, she is a stranger who does not look, talk, or act like the original Ava did. She has very few memories of her past life. She is part human (and humans are looked down on as being weak-It is ironic how she always came off as thinking that humans were weaker than she was since she was part alien, but now the Khai thinks she is weaker because she is part human). She is going to have to prove to him that she can be the Queen. Actually, a lot of the other characters that show up later on will feel the same way about her. And a few of the ones at the Council Meeting secretly think that, and were just being polite, and that will come out in later chapters as well. Tess has a long way to go before she can earn their trust and loyalty. Which is good, because otherwise this would be a very short story... :)

Re: Mony19: We will get to Earth eventually. This is mostly focused on Tess and her struggles, which currently take place on a far away planet. But our first glimpse of the others on Earth will come in a few chapters, and we will continue to get an insight into their lives throughout the entire Salvation Series. Tess has to be determined to help her people, because that was all Nasedo ever taught her. She was raised to be the Queen, and when General Khai (and others later on in the story) question that, it only makes her try harder.

* * *

crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

General Khai

_Day 3_

"I can't believe you would do this!" Khai spat at Larek as he followed the alien through the labyrinth of corridors on the main floor of the palace. "I can't believe you actually want me to train her! Do you really think that I have the time to waste on this?"

"It isn't a waste of your time," Larek hissed angrily. "She may very well be the only person who can save your people."

"She is a seventeen-year-old half-breed doesn't remember a single thing about her past."

"She grew up with Nasedo," Larek countered. "She spent every day of her life training for her return."

Khai rolled his eyes and replied quietly, "I've been working with the Resistance since before she was born. What could she possibly offer that I could not? That any other seventeen-year-old Antarian could not?"

"Hope," Larek replied softly. "It doesn't matter if she is Queen. What matters is if she can act like it." He paused outside a set of large double doors and said quietly, "She carries the Heir, Khai. This is everything the Resistance has wanted, everything they have waited for."

"Everything except Zan."

Larek sighed and shook his head. "I've met this Max Evans. He is a nice kid, but he truly is just a kid. He would rather stay on Earth than come to our aid. And even if he did come back, he would not be Zan. He would never be Zan. At least with Ava we have a chance of getting the Queen back."

Khai hissed a short breath from in between his teeth and reluctantly relented. "Fine, I will teach her. But don't expect me to be happy about it."

Larek hid his smile of relief and knocked sharply on the door. It opened at once, swinging back into the room. Tess was standing across the floor, her back to them, looking out one of the windows up at the morning sky. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a bun with a few loose tendrils falling down her shoulders. She was wearing a form fitting red evening gown that seemed to float about her ankles.

She turned and smiled at them, somewhat apprehensively. She ran her hand over the soft material of the dress and waited for them to speak.

"The dress is very becoming," Larek said softly, smiling. He stepped into the room, shortly followed by Khai. "We've come to discuss your training."

Tess nodded and gestured for them to take seat. Larek sunk into one of the armchairs, and Tess sat across from him on the sofa. Khai remained on his feet, standing stiffly behind Larek.

"Until the Heir is born," Larek continued, "we cannot risk teaching you any physical activity. Thus, fighting will have to wait." He shot a look at Khai, who nodded his assent to this plan.

"What do I do for the next few days, then?" Tess asked quietly.

"I have several meetings to attend in the area with other members of the Resistance. You will accompany me, and I will introduce you to them. You will observe our planning and our preparations," Khai explained. He narrowed his eyes at Tess and continued, "Depending on how fast you learn strategy and tactics, you _may_ be useful to us in that area."

Tess bristled at his contemptuous tone. He did not expect her to succeed. "I see," she murmured, her gaze flicking quickly to Larek's impassive face. "Is that all?"

"Of course not," Khai replied scornfully. "It takes a lot more than that to be Queen. Unfortunately, the true qualities needed to be an effective ruler-the courage to fight in the face of danger, the strength to make difficult decisions, and, above all else, the talent of getting people to follow you-_those_ cannot be taught."

"Then how will I learn them?" Tess asked sharply.

"Lord Larek believes that you have those inherent abilities already, and that, with time, they will come out," Khai replied sneeringly, running his eyes up and down Tess' petite form with derision. " We shall see."

* * *

"I get the feeling he doesn't like me," Tess commented dryly after General Khai had stalked from the room. She and Larek were now sitting alone in her room, discussing their plans for the near future.

"It isn't that," Larek replied quietly. "It is just…"

"He was expecting a Queen, and he got me," Tess remarked bitterly. She glanced over at Khai. "That's the problem, isn't it? Nobody thinks I can do this."

"You are and aren't Ava. Most people see the differences, and ignore the similarities," Larek replied gravely. He stared at Tess for a long moment, then said, "_I_ believe you can do this."

"Why?" Tess asked slowly. "How do you have so much faith in me? In my abilities? I don't even have that much confidence myself."

Larek slanted her a look through unreadable eyes, then replied, "Because, _I_ see the similarities." He stood up and began to pace across the floor. "I see the look on your face every time you think of Max. It is the same look that I saw on Ava's face, every time she thought of Zan. I see the same facial expressions, I hear the same laugh, the same voice. I see Queen Ava in you."

Larek paused and glanced over at the seated girl. He stared at her for a long time, seeing the vulnerable expression in her eyes. And he suddenly realized that she was just a girl, the way Max Evans was just a boy. She was young, and naïve, and overwhelmed. She was _not_ the Queen. But in her eyes, he saw the same determination, the same fire, that had often burned in the eyes of the Queen he had once known.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "And I believe in you because I want to."

"I don't know if I can do this," Tess admitted.

"You thought you could in the Council meeting yesterday. What changed?" Larek asked.

Tess shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself and staring off into space. "I don't know," she admitted. "Yesterday I felt like I could. Today I don't."

* * *

Khai held out his sword, twisting in through the air in a large arc. It danced in his hands, the silver metal catching the sunlight from the windows. "This is a sword. It is the most common weapon, and the one you will often fight with."

"I thought I wasn't learning how to fight until the baby was born," Tess said, leaning forward and staring at the blade apprehensively.

They were standing in an empty stone room. The floor was covered in a thin brown linen rug. One wall had two small windows in it, the others were solid stone. Above them, the ceiling opened to the afternoon sky. The sun shone down on them through the space above, giving Tess the feeling that she was standing in a very large fishbowl.

"You aren't," Khai replied. "But it is important that you learn the fundamentals of sword play, and you can learn those without ever actually lifting a blade. They are purely theoretical."

"Oh," Tess replied, feeling somewhat stupid. She rested one hand on her rounded stomach and ran the other through her hair. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Don't you have guns or something like that?"

Khai snorted derisively and replied, "Why would we invent a machine to shoot bullets when we have the ability to throw energy? We are our own biological guns."

Again, Tess flushed, feeling embarrassed. She turned her eyes to the blade, watching as it moved swiftly through the air. It hummed as Khai brought it whistling around his head.

"So…I'm going to learn how to duel?" Tess asked, licking her dry lips apprehensively. She had never even touched a sword before, how was she supposed to fight? How was she supposed to fight a trained soldier? "Is it just like fighting on Earth?"

"We are much more evolved then those…" Khai paused, frowning as though he could not quite think of the appropriate word with which to describe the inhabitants of Earth. Finally, he shrugged and looked down at the sword in his hand. "Suffice to say," he continued, "we have advanced our fighting techniques somewhat."

"How so?" Tess questioned.

Khai stared at his sword for a moment, then held it out in front of him. From his hand, a soft blue glow appeared, and a current of energy ran up and down the length of the blade. "We use the sword to focus our energy," he replied. He twisted his wrist, causing the sword to jerk sharply, and a few sparks jumped from the tip and cascaded through the air to the floor. Then, without warning, Khai spun around and slammed his sword into the wall next to Tess.

She cried out in shock and jumped away, turning in time to see a large scorch mark appear on the wall where the sword had touched it.

"We can pass energy along the metal blade and on to any object the sword touches," Khai said calmly, not even starting at the explosion of energy from his sword. "We can use it as a shield as well. If someone attacks you with an energy blast or any other form of telekinetic, pyrokinetic, or cytokinetic attack, you can catch their power on your blade, and therefore protect yourself from the onslaught. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Tess replied quickly, although she truly did not. She stared at the sword for a moment, then asked diffidently, "Can't you just conjure an energy shield or something to act as a protection?"

Khai shook his head in exasperation and replied, "Can _you_ do that?" Tess said nothing, so he continued, "Only some people have that particular gift. The same way only some people can heal, only some people can mind-warp, only some people can dream-walk…" He sheathed his sword abruptly and crossed his arms. "Needless to say, if you are fighting someone with the ability to create protective force-fields, they will be a lot more difficult to defeat. However, if you know how to use your sword properly, and how to channel you energy, you can puncture their shield and attack them through it."

"Oh…" Tess nodded and took a few steps into the room, looking around. "What room is this?" she asked, changing the subject.

"This is one of the training rooms. It is normally used for sword play, but today we will use it for mind exercises."

"Mind exercises?" Tess raised an eyebrow at Khai, curious. "What are those?"

"To be able to channel your energy through your sword, you must have a great amount of mental strength. Today I will test that strength," Khai explained. He licked his lips, then said, "Like you, I have the ability to mind-warp. I will mind-warp you, and you will attempt to throw me out. Is that clear?"

"Is it possible to protect your mind against a mind-warp?" Tess asked, wide-eyed.

Khai shook his head at her naïveté and replied, "Obviously. If it wasn't, those with the ability would turn everyone else in the world into slaves." Without warning, he closed his eyes and focused on her mind.

"_Tess?" Isabel called out, poking her head into the living room. "Can you come help me set the table?"_

_Tess looked up from where she was sitting next to Max and nodded. "Sure," she replied easily, standing. "You two behave while Izzy and I are gone, you hear?" she said with mock seriousness, looking back and forth between Max and Michael, who was perched on the arm of the sofa across from her._

"_Yes, ma'am," Michael replied sarcastically. _

"_Actually, it's your Majesty," Tess shot back, grinning. _

_Max laughed and leaned over to Tess, kissing her. "You and Izzy behave yourselves in the kitchen," he said as he broke the kiss and pulled back._

"The point, Ava, is to break out of the mind-warp," Khai said dryly as he dropped the image.

Tess nodded and looked around the stone room. She could feel the tears in her eyes as she realized that it had all been a dream. A fake. Max did not love her. She blinked furiously, wanting the salt water drops to disappear. She refused to cry in front of Khai.

"Try again," Khai ordered.

_Khivar lifted his hand and shot a blast of energy from his palm, sneering at Tess as he did so. Tess shrieked and ducked, throwing herself sideways and away from the skin King. She collided heavily with the floor and winced as pain shot through her shoulder._

"You fool!"

Tess came out of the mind-warp to the sound of Khai's angry snarling, and the thud of footsteps hurrying towards her. She rubbed her eyes and realized she was lying on the floor. And her shoulder really did hurt.

"You idiot!" Khai hissed. He dropped down next to her, fear and concern on his face. At first, Tess thought it was for her. Then she saw the way his eyes never left her stomach and she realized with dawning horror that she could have injured her son.

She pushed herself to her knees and touched her stomach. She closed her eyes, trying to connect with the life inside of her. At once, she felt concern, fear, and worry radiating off of her son.

But he was uninjured.

"He's fine," she breathed, relief filling her. She turned to Khai, and saw the relief flooding his eyes as well. "My son is fine," she repeated, more to reassure herself than the General.

Khai nodded and stood up and began to pace angrily. "How could you allow yourself ot endanger your son like that?" he spat, shaking his head.

"You're the one who did the mind-warp," Tess snapped back angrily. "How could _you_ endanger my son with that sort of image?"

Khai turned to her, a harsh rebuke on his lips. He paused, then shook his head and said in a softer, although not gentle, tone, "I assumed that you had at least mastered enough of your powers that you would not react to the mind-warp in that way. I will admit that…some…of what happened was my fault for over estimating your abilities." He rubbed his hand together angrily and sighed. "This proves to be more difficult than I originally imagined."

"Oh?" Tess replied defensively. "How so?"

"Nasedo did not train you enough," Khai replied. "Even young children on Antar have the ability to split their physical and mental responses to a mind-warp."

"What?" Tess demanded, unsure what Khai meant.

"They do not react physically to what they see. They feel the same fear you did when I made you see Khivar attacking you, and in their minds they may very well jump aside. But they do not actually move physically. The effects of the mind-warp are entirely mental." He shrugged, almost apologetically, and said, "I thought you would have had enough training to be able to do that. Clearly I was wrong."

Tess nodded but remained silent, her ego still slightly bruised.

Khai lapsed into silence for a moment, then mused, "I do not understand why Nasedo would not have trained you in that. Ignorant as you are, I cannot imagine that you would be so inept that you could not learn."

Tess opened her mouth to retort, but Khai waved her into silence, and to her own surprise, she found herself complying with the unspoken request. She said nothing.

"We shall stop here for today," Khai announced. "You will work on your own to strengthen your mental defenses. We shall try this again later, perhaps after the Heir is born."

"How am I supposed to practice?" Tess asked. "I don't know what to do."

"If you do not know how to strengthen your own mind, there is nothing anyone can teach you," Khai snapped back, irritated again.

Tess swallowed back her bitter retort and nodded, knowing not to provoke Khai on this matter. Instead, she turned and looked at the bruise that was rapidly appearing on her shoulder.

Khai continued speaking, "Tomorrow, I have a few meetings with different members of the Resistance, and an ambassador from one of the worlds that is sympathetic to our plight. It will be a very long day. You do not need to join us for all of it."

"I will," Tess said quickly. "I would like to meet them all."

Khai nodded and replied brusquely, "We start as soon as the sun rises. Someone will get you." He turned and walked towards the hallway leading from the room. Once there, he paused and looked back at Tess with annoyance. "Well?" he demanded. "Are you coming? Or do you already know your way around the palace well enough to find your route back to your rooms on your own?"

Tess swallowed and shook her head. She walked towards him briskly, still gingerly examining the bruise on her shoulder. Khai snorted impatiently, turned on his heal, and strode quickly from the room.

"You fought under Mi-Rath?" Tess asked, struggling to keep up with Khai.

The General paused for a moment, then turned back to look at Tess. He nodded slowly, his eyes unreadable. "Yes, I did," he replied coolly. "General Rath was a great General, and a amazing leader. Not as beloved as Zan himself, but close… His death was a great blow to us. It was shortly after Khivar killed him that we lost the throne." He turned away and began to walk down the hallway.

The two walked in silence for a long time until they reached the steps just before Tess' rooms. Khai sprinted up them, eager to be rid of Tess as soon as possible. He paused outside of her rooms, waiting for her to catch up.

Tess took the steps two at a time. Once she had reached her rooms, she glanced at Khai and worked up the nerve to ask the question that had been bothering her. "You spoke of Rath with…" Tess paused, looking for the right word. "With friendship," she said at last. "Did you know him well, then?"

Khai frowned and looked away. He swallowed and ran a hand through his hair, unsure how to respond to the question. Tess looked at him in surprise, confused. How had her seemingly innocent question caused such a reaction in him?

"Rath was my older brother," Khai said at last, his words oddly devoid of emotion. He gave Tess one last apprasing stare, then turned and walked away, the click of his shoes on the floor echoing through the hall.

* * *

Next Chapter: The First Endless Day 

Due: Wed. 11/23


	5. The First Endless Day

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I randomly decided to turn this into a song fic. The song is 'Breaking the Habit' by Linkin Park. This chapter is kind of long, so bare with me on that-I named it The First Endless Day for a reason... :) Also, I put times in front of each new section (for the sake of the story, pretend that the each day is the same length as an Earth day-24 hours), but they are all in military time. If you don't know how to read military time, it is very simple. The numbers are the same up until 12:00, then instead of starting over at 1:00, they go on to 13:00. So, if you want to know what time it is on the American time system, just subtract 1200 from any number at noon. (i.e. 1500 1500-1200 3:00 pm). They also all have four numbers, and don't have the colon between hours and minutes (i.e. 6:30 0630, 13:45 1345). Also, I just want to check to make sure that everyone has read Prologue: Checkmate first, since this is the second in my Salvation series, and that story was the first... You could probably read this story without having read Checkmate, but it will help in later chapters if you know what happened between Max and Tess in the pod chamber.

Re: Ellethiel: First, I want to say that I love your reviews, and you are always more than welcome to rant as much as you want. I also am interested by ideas of what society on other planets will be like, so don't worry, there will be more of that. At some point, I am even planning on delving into government issues. But of course, I have to have a balance of action and emotion in there as well, since it _is _a story. As for the end of this story, well, I obviously don't want to give anything away, but I can tell you this: I actually already have the final story in the series (which is a one-shot Epilogue the way Checkmate was a one-shot Prologue) written because I knew exactly how I wanted it to end. It won't all be happy and it won't all be perfect, and it most definitely won't all be like the show. Some is the same, some is changed, but I can't say any more than that. And hopefully that bit of information was tempting enough and you will stick with me through the entire series...yes, I know I am evil.

Re: Mony19: Can I just say that I love the fact that you consistently review every chapter in both my stories? The idea to make Rath and Khai brothers was a really last minute addition that happened right before I posted the chapter. I didn't have time to really think it through, so I am glad that you like it. I am going to play with it a little more in other chapters because I suddenly realized that it has a lot of really good potential for the story. As for Khai being hostile to Tess, he isn't the only one who feels that way. As you will see in this and later chapters... She has to really prove to everyone that she can be Queen, and she has to start by proving it to herself. Larek believing in her gives her some strength, but eventually all the motivation is going to have to come from within her.

Emma: Thanks for the review. I am always glad to find another person who likes Tess. She was villianized way too much on the show, and I thought it was just catering to dreamers and taking the easy way out. You can't just turn your back on an entire planet of people who are counting on you because you are in love with someone. I also happen to be a hopeless romantic, and I love the idea of soul mates. If Max and Tess were in love in one life, they should be in love in this life as well. Then again, I don't really like Max (which if you haven't figured that out by now, you will see it in later chapters), so sometimes I'm perfectly fine with Tess and Max not being together. But Tess is very cool. Which is why I decided to write this story. Sorry, that was a really long answer to your review.

As always, read and review. Although if I keep answering this much to reviews, my respose are going to start being longer than the story itself... :) But what can I say, I like comparing ideas and rants with people. Now, on with the story!

* * *

crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

The First Endless Day

_**Memories consume  
Like opening the wound  
I'm picking me apart again  
You all assume  
I'm safe here in my room  
Unless I try to start again  
**_

_Day 4_

0600

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling across Tess' bed. She opened one eye and stretched slowly, feeling her tired muscles strain slightly. She ran a hand over her stomach, feeling for the life force inside, making sure her son was okay. Then she smiled softly to herself, curled into a ball under the warm covers, and shut her eyes again.

Before she could drift off to sleep, however, a sharp knock resounded through the room, and the door swung open. Khai strode into the room, his arms crossed over his chest. Without even a civil greeting, he said curtly, "Be dressed and ready to go in fifteen minutes. You will eat on the way." Then he turned and was gone, shutting the door behind him with a snap.

Tess stared at the spot where he had stood, then pulled herself into a sitting position and mentally cursed herself for agreeing to accompany the General throughout the entire day. She slipped from the bed and walked over to her closet, opening the door and looking at her clothes.

What was she supposed to wear?

She looked down at her nightgown. It was made from white cotton, and hung to her knees. The top was trimmed in a type of lace that was so detailed and so exquisite it must have been made with more advanced technology than what they had on earth. Surprisingly, the cotton of the dress itself was rough, as though it had not been properly woven. Both the synthetic and natural materials of Earth were much more refined.

Except for syrk.

Tess reached out and touched one of the dresses hanging in her wardrobe. It was made entirely from a deep blue syrk fabric. It was smooth as silk, and so light that it almost floated in the air, but it glowed with a faint iridescent luminosity.

"I wouldn't wear syrk, if I were you," a voice said.

Tess spun around to see Sria standing by the door, watching Tess quietly. She ran a hand through her red hair and shifted from foot to foot, as though not sure of her standing with this new Queen. Her green eyes betrayed her apprehension.

"Why not?" Tess asked, glancing back at the dress.

"You are going to meet with members of the Resistance, my Lady. Syrk is a very expensive material, and they may perceive you wearing it as a sign that you care more for extravagant luxury than for financing the battle against Khivar," Sria explained. She took a few hesitant steps into the room, gaining some confidence once Tess did not rebuke her for intruding. "I don't deny that that is a beautiful dress, but syrk is generally saved for weddings, coronations, and balls."

"Good to know," Tess mused. She turned back to her clothes.

"Well, my Lady," Sria began, but Tess cut her off.

"We were really good friends, you and I?" she asked softly, trying to remember as much as possible about her past life. She blinked once, frustrated that the memories did not come.

"Yes," Sria answered, a little disappointed. She had been so excited when Larek had informed her of Ava's return, but it appeared that this hybrid did not remember her. She had not gotten her best friend back after all.

"Did you call me my Lady then?" Tess pressed.

Sria, caught by surprise at the question, stammered, "N-no. I called you Ava."

"Then call me that now," Tess said. "I may not remember you, but that does not mean that we have to lose our friendship. I am awfully alone at the moment, and I would appreciate knowing that there are at least a few people on my side."

"I was always on you side, Ava," Sria said honestly. "You are my best friend, and the Queen."

Tess slanted her a look through unreadable eyes and murmured somewhat despondently, "Khai thinks differently."

"Don't get too upset by Khai's reactions to you," Sria advised. "He may seem harsh now, but he is a fair man. Prove to him that you can do this, prove to him that you truly are the Queen, and he will respect you. Once you earn his trust and reverence, he will follow you loyally until his death."

Tess accepted the advise in silence, then said, "Was he really Rath's brother?"

Sria raised an eyebrow at the question and nodded. "Yes, he was. They were inseparable. Rath's death was a horrible loss to him." She walked over to Tess and stared at the hybrid Queen seriously. "I suppose that is part of the reason he is cold towards you. You don't feel that… _favorably_…towards the hybrid version of his brother…Michael, is it?"

Tess narrowed her eyes and said, "Well, if Michael had betrayed Khai to his sworn enemy, Khai would probably feel _unfavorably_ towards him as well."

"I don't deny that you have a reason to be angry with Michael. Or with the others. But you have to bear in mind, Ava, that the people here…we grew up with Zan. With a Zan who was an extraordinary man and a very beloved King. To hear you speak so unfavorably of them… it hurts us. They were the soul if this planet, and…" She let her sentence drift off, unsure of how to finish.

But Tess understood what she was saying and sighed. "I'm sorry, Sria. I know I shouldn't… I need to be careful of what I say, especially around the Resistance members… I need to keep in mind that Zan, Rath, and Vilandra were very different people than Max, Isabel, and Michael are. It's just…so hard, sometimes, not to hate them. All six of them…"

Sria said nothing, not knowing how to comfort her hurting friend. At last, she said, "I know how you feel. We all know how you feel. And Khai should be a little more understanding of what you have been through."

"Thank you," Tess said, realizing, to her utter horror, that tears were forming in her eyes. She wiped them away hastily and continued, "You have no idea how much it means to me to be able to talk to you."

Sria laughed gently, and replied, "We talked a lot in the past life. About everything. Hopes, dreams, loves, fears, frustrations…_everything_." She smiled, remembering. "Trivial things, also. Jewelry, fashion, clothes…"

"Well, we have to keep up the tradition, don't we?" Tess answered, her face breaking into a wide smile. She turned and gestured back to her closet. "Because I have no idea what to wear."

_**I don't want to be the one  
The battles always choose  
'Cause inside I realize  
That I'm the one confused  
**_

0630

Khai paused outside a door and turned to Tess, his eyes serious. "You are about to meet General Radim. He is one of the leaders of the Resistance, and one of the few loyalists that Khivar does not yet suspect. As such, he is often able to travel to other worlds a conduct meetings with those of us who have had to flee the planet."

"Oh," Tess commented, unconsciously fixing her hair. She ran her hands over the material of her shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles.

"Although you do not look like Ava did, Radim should be able to sense who you are," Khai continued brusquely. "He has not yet been informed that you will be joining us, so we will see what his reaction to you is." And with that, he pushed open the door and stepped into the room.

It was a small room, and the walls were made entirely on glass. Only it was a heavy glass, thick and strong. Somehow, Tess suddenly knew that the glass was stronger than metal, than stone. And she knew that it worked like a one-way mirror, she could see out into the gardens around them, but nobody in the gardens could see in.

Tess blinked, wondering where the information had come from, and stepped into the room.

The floor was carpeted in a deep cherry red, and in the center of the room was a oak table. It was covered in maps and stacks of paper. There were four chairs at the table, each made of a dark wood, so dark Tess thought it must be blacked. She knew instinctively that it was not dyed, that the tree itself was naturally dark, and wondered, again, where that information had come from.

A man was standing at the table, and he looked up as the door opened. He had dark hair and tan skin, and his eyes were a deep topaz yellow. He was tall, taller than Khai and Larek, and muscular. His face was wrinkled and weatherworn, the face of a man who has seen one too many battles.

His eyes widened in surprise as they fell on Tess. He stood still for a moment, then whispered, "Queen Ava?" He swallowed and abruptly lifted one hand, banging the fist into his chest the same way Audin had done.

Tess, unsure of what she was supposed to do, shot a look at Khai. The General stared back at her, offering no help, and she grimaced inwardly. Turning back to Radim, she said, "General Radim," and inclined her head.

This seemed to satisfy Radim, and he gestured for the two to approach. "I did not know you were coming, your Majesty," he said gruffly. "I did not know you had arrived on this planet. Are the others with you?"

Tess bit her lip and shook her head slowly, not wanting to explain why she was alone. Instead, she said simply, "They were unable to come, General. I am…sorry."

Radim seemed to sense that there was more to the story, but he did not press the issue. Instead, he turned to Khai and said, "Sir, I have news to report. Shall we begin?"

"Yes," Khai replied. He nodded for Tess to take a seat, and once she was seated, the other two sat down as well. "Report," Khai ordered.

Radim turned to one of the maps. It was a map of part of Antar, of the Southern province of Tel'ai. A long mountain range, labeled the Fel Mountains, twisted through the center of the map like a hissing serpent. To the east of the mountains, a great desert stretched out. The desert bore the name Triaji. It was bordered on its east side by a jungle (the Cortai), and on the north by swamps and marshes. The south of the desert was bounded by the mountain range which curved to form an L shape. To the west of the mountains, the land sloped away into grasslands. A great river, named the Landra river, ran through the grasslands, curving in towards the mountains and disappearing into the hills. On the other side of the river, the great capital of Antar stood, rising above the other, much smaller, cities that surrounded it like satellites.

Radim placed his finger on the map, at one of the small cities that sat close to the Landra river. "Khivar has taken the city of Sab," he said glumly. "His army attacked two nights ago, and the citizens were woefully unprepared."

"What was the casualty rate?" Khai demanded.

Radim was silent for a moment, then said softly, "All the men and most of the women where killed. Some of the women and children escaped during the battle and tried to flee to the next town, but most of them were caught and killed by Khivar's army the next morning."

"Did Khivar leave anyone alive?" Khai asked, his face paling.

"Some children…" Radim answered. He lifted his head from the map and turned to Ava. "He is an abomination to the throne," he snarled. "He has murdered countless innocent civilians."

Tess nodded and replied calmly, determinedly, "I will stop him."

Radim seemed extraordinarily comforted by Tess' reply, and he turned back to the map. He ran his finger across the paper, tracing the twisting of the mountains. "We believe that Khivar has sent troops along the outskirts of these mountains."

"Why?" Khai demanded, confusion written on his face. "Why would he send an army to uninhabited mountains?"

Radim shrugged. "That is what worries us. As well as the attack on Sab. There was no Resistance activity in the city, in fact, most of the civilians there were loyal to Khivar. Or, at least, ambivalent. We see no reason why he should have wasted time attacking there, or why he should station troops along the mountains, but or sources confirm that he is doing exactly that."

"Could it be random?" Tess asked quietly, studding the map.

Khai snorted and shook his head. "No, Khivar does nothing without an ultimate goal."

Radim nodded his agreement and studied Ava for a moment. "You should know that," he said gruffly. "Don't you remember any of what you learned in your past life?" His tone had changed, as though he suddenly realized the woman standing in front of him was not the Ava he knew.

Tess bit her lip and swallowed. "I don't remember much…" she admitted, looking away from Radim's piercing yellow gaze. "But if there is no pattern in Khivar's movements…"

"There is always a pattern," Radim replied quietly. "We just haven't found it yet."

Tess pointed to a spot on the map and asked, "What is that?"

Radim looked at the map. Tess was pointing to a spot where the Landra river curved, drawing close to the Fel Mountains. In between the Landra and the Fel sat a single, lone mountain, one that rose much higher than the others around it. It's base was covered in a labyrinth of rocky foothills.

"That is Mt. Sinai," Radim answered.

"Sinai?" Tess asked, surprised.

Khai and Radim turned to her. "What of it?" Khai asked quietly. "You seemed surprised by its name."

"In a few of the major religions on Earth, there is a Mt. Sinai," Tess explained. "It is an important mountain, it is…" she let the sentence drift off, deciding she really did not want to have a discussion on Earth theology with either of the two generals.

"Oh?" Radim asked. This seemed to interest him. He turned and stared back at the map. "Sinai is an Antarian word also," he mused. He turned and looked over at Tess. "It means _fate_."

_**I don't know what's worth fighting for  
Or why I have to scream  
I don't know why I instigate  
And say what I don't mean  
I don't know how I got this way  
I know it's not alright  
So I'm breaking the habit  
I'm breaking the habit  
Tonight**_

1015

Tess felt sick. She turned away from the young boy who sat in front of her and looked up at Khai, who was pacing the ground angrily, his footsteps reverberating through the otherwise silent room.

"And then what happened?" Arya coaxed the young boy as she knelt down beside him. Her face was extraordinarily pale and her eyes were filled with horror, but her voice was calm and gentle.

The boy was covered in blood. His entire body was covered with gashes and wounds, his hair was matted with blood, sweat, and dirt.

"There was a crash," the boy answered in a high pitched squeak, "and I screamed. Mommy… she was… I couldn't wake her. And she was bloody, and I tried, but… And then a man grabbed me and yelled something, but I wanted Mommy… and I couldn't find my sister… Mommy said that I had to always watch out for her, and I couldn't find her." The boy's voice rose in panic and he sobbed, "I couldn't find her! Do you know where she is? Do you know?"

Tess opened her mouth to say something, but Khai grabbed her arm and pulled her to the other side of the room. "You can't speak," he hissed. "The boy can't see you right now, you are out of his hologram's field of vision, but he would be able to hear you. And you cannot let anyone know of your presence!"

"Can't you…can't you not question him?" Tess asked softly. "Can't you talk to an adult?"

"Ava, no adults survived the attack on Sab. He did. And we need to know what happened, we _need _to know. He can answer our questions, perhaps shed some light on the mystery of why Khivar attacked that city."

"But he is hurt and scared! Someone needs to comfort him," Tess hissed back, her eyes filling with tears. Her maternal instincts were taking over her logic. She knew that she was only looking at a hologram of the boy, a rare communication device set up in between Larek's palace and one of the many resistance bases on Antar. The little boy was on a completely different planet than she was, and there was nothing she could do to help him right now.

But she wanted to so badly.

Khai shook his head in disgust. "Don't be so weak, Ava! This is hardly the first child to be hurt and orphaned by Khivar's rule. And he will not be the last. But there is nothing you can do!"

Tess nodded and closed her eyes.

"Just be thankful it is a hologram or you would have to smell the blood on him as well," Khai commented callously.

Tess felt her stomach twist and knew she was going to be sick.

_**Clutching my cure  
I tightly lock the door  
I try to catch my breath again  
I hurt much more  
Than anytime before  
I had no options left again  
**_

1345

"He was so cold," Tess breathed in an undertone to Sria as she stared at yet another map of Antar. "Like he didn't even care about the boy."

They were in yet another meeting, this time with Larek, Khai, and a Antarian loyalist named Trell, discussing, yet again, the attack on the city of Sab. Larek and Khai were deep in conversation in the far corner of the room, while Trell was pouring over the maps spread out on the table.

"He cares," Sria whispered back. "More than you could know." She paused and pushed one of the maps away from her, pulling another closer. She peered at the twisted lines and tiny dots of cities that filled the map. After a moment of silence, she straightened up and rubbed her tired eyes. "I still don't see a pattern."

Tess shrugged and replied, "If there is a pattern there, I am sure we will find it."

"Yes, but will we find it in time?" Sria questioned softly. She ran a hand through her hair, then turned to Tess. Her eyes were serious as she said, "Look, this war has been going on for a long time. And Khai has seen many wounded children. But he understands the importance of stopping Khivar, and he understands that it must be done at any cost. So if he appears cold or uncaring… He's just being realistic. He knows what will happen if we fail."

"We'll have many more children like the one you interviewed today."

Tess and Sria looked up, neither of them having heard Trell's approach. He was standing next to them, his kind face full of sympathy as he stared at Tess. He was old, much older than any of the others Tess had met. His face was covered with lines, deep groves etched into his skin. He walked with a slight limp on one leg, the result of a hip injury several years ago, an injury that only got worse with time.

"That is what will happen if we fail," Trell continued heavily. "Many more deaths."

Tess' gaze hardened as she replied, "Then we had better not fail."

"Easier said than done, my Lady," Trell replied. He turned and nodded to the map Sria had been looking at. "I think I see some pattern, however."

"Really?" Tess asked quickly, as Larek and Khai hurried over at Trell's comment "Where?"

Trell traced a circle on the map. "He's been taking cities around the capital." He paused for a moment, then pointed to several dots on the map, each a city that had been capture. "Sab. Drasu. Lorai. Ethelial. Le'sor. Mry'el. All cities that have no particular importance except that they form a circle around the capital."

"But he has the capital already," Sria frowned. "A circle like that is a tactic for offense, not defense. Why would he be doing that?"

"Maybe he fears an attack on the city?" Tess suggested quietly. "Maybe he thinks he will have to recapture it?"

"But why? The Resistance would be fools to attack the capital. It is too well guarded, it would be suicide," Sria pointed out. "He must know that we would never take it."

Khai stared at the map for a long time, then said wearily, "He's preparing."

"For what?" Larek demanded, turning to the General. "What does he expect to happen."

Khai shrugged. "I don't know. But he must be preparing for something. This circle that Trell saw…it is too much of a coincidence not to be the pattern. Something is going to happen in that city. Something big."

A silence fell over the others in the room, then Tess said in a tiny voice, "What does Landra mean?" She nodded to the river and continued, "Is it related to Vilandra?"

"You don't remember the meaning of your sister-in-law's name?" Khai asked waspishly. He ignored the reproachful glare Sria sent him and explained, "Landra means 'gift.' Vilandra means 'God's gift.' Although…" he snorted slightly at the irony of the name and pointed out, "…she didn't turn out to be much of a gift to us."

A ripple of anger ran through the others as they nodded their heads in agreement.

Tess turned back to the map and stared at the dot that represented the capital of Antar. The place that she had once called home, the palace that she had lived in with her husband and his family. Where she had confided in Sria, where she had agreed to marry Zan, where she had…

Where she had been happy.

What horrible thing was Khivar planning for the city?

**_I don't want to be the one  
The battles always choose  
'Cause inside I realize  
That I'm the one confused_**

1730

Tess' eyes burned. How long has she been on her feet? It could not have been much more than twelve hours, but it felt like a lifetime. She had been to so many meetings, where they discussed the plans for battles, tallied the losses from recent skirmishes, debated courses of action. And she had met people, so many people, so many Resistance members.

And all of them, like Radim, had been thrilled to see her, right up until they realized how much she did not know about her past life.

God, she wanted to go home.

But she didn't have a home anymore. This was her life now, and she had to see it through. For good or ill, what happened, happened. She couldn't go back.

God, she hated Max.

But that hatred was slowly being replaced by an even stronger loathing, this time directed at Khivar. She had seen one too many death tolls, heard one too many reports of the injuries and causalities from a recent conflict. And every time she briefly closed her tired eyes, she could see that young boy's terrified, sheet-white face as he begged for someone to find his sister.

How was she supposed to do this? For the first time since meeting Khai, she suddenly had the wild idea that maybe he was right. Maybe she wasn't supposed to be Queen. Maybe she was just a burden, maybe all she would ever be was a burden.

"What do you think, Ava?" Larek asked.

Tess stared at him and shook her head, unsure what he was asking about. "I'm sorry," she said slowly, "my mind was elsewhere."

Khai snorted and exchanged darkly significant looks with another man who stood in the room, a diplomat from some other planet who Tess thought might have been named Zyith. She wasn't entirely sure, having lost track a long while earlier.

"About whether or not we should send a spy into the capital to see what Khivar is up to," Zyith replied with a sneer. "Do you think it is a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Tess asked slowly, rubbing her tired eyes and trying to think straight. How could she be this tired? How could she be this weak?

"What if the spy gets caught?" Khai snapped. "We don't have that many spies as it is, Ava, and we cannot risk losing another. Besides, Khivar has many…_advisors_ who are adept at mind-rape. Who knows what information they could pry from our spies mind?"

Tess looked back and forth between the two men, sensing that this was a test. One that she desperately need to pass. But she had no idea what the trick question was.

"If Khivar is planning something big, we need to know what it is," Tess answered slowly, painfully aware of how much damage one wrong word could do. "Do you…do _we_…have any spies you think are adept enough to avoid capture?"

"There are some," Khai said, "But it is still risky. We can't foresee all the trials they will face while in the city."

"We can never foresee all the trials of a war," Tess replied, and sensed instantly that she had said the right thing.

"I agree with Ava," Zyith added. "This is a gamble we must take. We have no other choice."

Khai grunted in agreement, and said, "Very well, we shall do as Ava has ordered."

And Tess suddenly realized in a wave of horror that Khai and Zyith were acting on her orders. Sending a spy into the city on her command. Putting that spy's life at risk on her instruction.

Which meant that if the spy died…

That was on her orders as well.

She would have killed someone…

And unlike Alex, it would truly be her fault.

What had she done?

Khai met her eyes, and saw the worry and fear in them. His gaze hardened, and she understood instantly what he was telling her.

_This_ is what it meant to be Queen.

_**I don't know what's worth fighting for  
Or why I have to scream  
I don't know why I instigate  
And say what I don't mean  
I don't know how I got this way  
I'll never be alright  
So, I'm breaking the habit  
I'm breaking the habit  
Tonight**_

2045

"I can't do this," Tess murmured, her eyes filling with tears as she her body began to shake. She wrapped her arms around herself, tired, worn out, and beaten. "I can't do it."

Khai stopped and looked at her. They were standing in the hallway, having come out of one meeting, and heading directly to another. The last meeting had been about the appropriate spy to use. They had agreed on… was the name Tunia? Tess was so tired, so confused, that all the information swam around in her head, and she could make nothing of it. She just wanted to collapse to the floor and burst into tears.

"I know," Khai snapped. "I've said that all along, and you keep saying that you can be Queen. That you are strong enough."

Tess looked up at him, expecting a smirk to be firmly planted on his face, but was surprised to see a frown. And a look of…despair?

She realized abruptly that, although he did not think she could so this, he had been holding on to a sliver of hope that he was wrong. They all had been hoping that. Larek, Audin, Arya, Lotho, Sria, Kani, Radim, Trell, Ziyth… She was the only hope they had left.

Tess swallowed and shook her head. "I _can_ do it," she replied, wishing that she believed the words she spoke.

"You just said you couldn't," Khai shot back angrily. He turned away from her and walked over to the room they were supposed to have entered. "Stay here until you can gain control of yourself. I will send someone out to stay with you." And then he was gone, and the door closed behind him with a sharp snap.

Tess sank to the floor, tears flowing freely from her eyes. She let the sobs wrack her body, not carrying who saw her or what they thought.

"Ava?"

Tess looked up to see Larek standing over her, concern in his eyes. She cursed herself fro appearing so weak in front of him and pushed herself to her feet. "Larek," she whispered, her voice sounding hoarse and constricted. "I can't do this. I think Khai was right."

"He wasn't," Larek answered seriously, his voice filled with comfort. "I know you can do this. I believe in you."

This brought a bitter, choked laugh from Tess, who replied, "I don't even believe in myself." She began to pace back and forth across the floor, her eyes filled with desperation and misery. "You don't understand what it is like. I see it in their faces. They see me and they think they have the Queen back. And then they realize I don't know, I don't remember…And I see the despair, the gloom, the fear… I saw it with all of them."

"They don't know you, Ava," Larek replied softly. "Give them time to see you, who you really are, and they will know. They will believe."

Tess bit her lip and turned to look at him, blinking back the tears. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words died silently on her lips, and she looked away. After a moment of silence, she said, "I sent a spy into the capital today. A spy who could die because of me. And that boy who Khai and Arya spoke to…I could never do that. I couldn't be so… And then… all those plans and talks and everything… Khai knew what he was saying, he knew how to fight a battle. So did Radim, and Trell, and Zyith, and Sria, and Arya. I don't know that. I don't know any of it. Larek, I can't do this! I don't have any experience with war."

Larek reached across to Tess and took her by the shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eye. "No," he said gravely, "you don't. You aren't the same person you were then, regardless of her essence in side of you. And I know how you feel, that you don't want this responsibility of trying to be this other person, this woman that everyone revered as a goddess. But whether you want it or not, you have it. For good or ill, you _are_ the Queen, and it is up to you to decide what you do with that."

Tess looked at him for a moment, then swallowed and nodded slowly. "Yes," she said quietly. "Yes, I am." She reached up and ran a hand over her face, instantly erasing all signs of her earlier meltdown. "Let's go into the meeting." And she turned, and lead Larek back to the conference room.

Because Larek was right. For good or ill, she was the Queen. Max, Isabel, and Michael may want to deny their heritage, but she did not have that luxury. She was here, on a different planet, far away from everything she had known, and she couldn't go back. She had to stay and fight, because that was who she was.

It wouldn't be easy. She knew she would have many days where she broke down. Days that seemed endless, like the one she was in right now. And she knew she would struggle to earn the respect of the Generals, of the Resistance, of Khai. Every day would bring a new hardship, and new struggle, and every day she would want to give up. But she wouldn't, _couldn't_, give up.

She was the Queen. She carried the Heir to the throne. She was the only one who could bring hope back to the Resistance, who could give them the will and strength to fight and win the war. She could bring Khivar to his knees. She had the opportunity to change it all, to make it better.

It would never be right, nothing in her life would be right. But she could make it better than it was right now. She could find peace and happiness. She could move on from the pain and sorrow that had followed her everywhere from the first moment her hybrid family had rejected her. She could find her salvation.

And she was not going to waste that.

_**I'll paint it on the walls  
'Cause I'm the one at fault  
I'll never fight again  
And this is how it ends**_

2130

Tess suddenly doubled over as a wave of pain ran through her body. She gasped, her lungs constricting painfully. Twisting, she looked up at the others who had dropped to their knees around her. Through the haze of pain that clouded her vision, she could just make out the concerned looks on their faces, then the worried voice of Larek reached her ears.

"Ava? What's wrong? Are you ill?"

Tess swallowed the scream of fear that rose in her throat and shook her head. What was going on, what was happening to her? Her body felt as though it was on fire, her skin was sweating, tears jumped into her eyes. Her stomach constricted, a dull throbbing ache spreading through her abdomen.

…stomach…abdomen…constrictions…contractions…womb…child…birth…

Her sapphire eyes widened with realization, and she turned to Larek, whispering "He's coming. The baby…he's coming."

**_I don't know what's worth fighting for  
Or why I have to scream  
But now I have some clarity  
to show you what I mean  
I don't know how I got this way  
I'll never be alright  
So, I'm breaking the habit  
I'm breaking the habit  
I'm breaking the habit  
Tonight

* * *

_**

Next Chapter: Birth

Due: Sunday 11/27

Please let me know if you have any problems with my use of the word God (in the section where Tess is thinking that she hates Max). I know it may offend people, and if it does, I can change it to G-d or take it out all together.


	6. Birth

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Anything in italics is a vision, anything in bold is what is happening in the room while Tess is caught in her visions. Also, we get our first glimpse of Earth in this chapter. Some of the visions are taken directly from the show, some are partially from the show but have been changed a little bit, and some are entirely my creation.

Re: Mony: Thanks for the review. Yes, I like Larek and Sria as well. I am trying to make them the nicest and most sympathetic of the characters. And the birth of the baby will definitely increase the hope of the Resistance, but it will also make some things harder for Tess. There will be new obstacles she has to overcome.

Re: .elementbabe.: Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the story. I was never really a Max fan either, he was such a jerk. And my view on that matter will come out quite a lot during the story, so it is probably good that you don't like him either.

* * *

crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

Chapter Six: Birth

She was unaware of anything except the pain shooting up and down through her stomach. All around her, she knew that people were running, talking, crying for help, but none of their panic reached her. She could hear them, but it was distant and muffled, as though the sound was coming to her through a thick veil of cotton. She was trapped in her own world of pain and panic as another powerful contraction ripped through her abdomen.

Someone lifted her from the floor and carried her down the hallway and into another room. She was deposited on something soft and warm, and then someone placed a cool towel on her forehead, wiping away the sweat that mattered her hair.

She thought fleetingly of Jim.

But he wasn't here. None of them were here, and she was trapped giving birth on a unknown planet in a room full of people she had known for, at most, a few days.

Her child twisted in her womb, as though caught in a net. She felt a sharp pain, sharper than the others, and bit her lip to keep from crying out. Through the fog that swirled around her vision, she could see something red and sticky spreading across the front of her shirt and pants.

The baby was in trouble.

And then, quite suddenly, she wasn't there anymore.

She was in water. It flooded over her head, soaking through her clothes and skin. She struggled for a moment, fighting against the swelling panic in her chest, and clawing at the cold water. She gasped, tears stinging her cheeks and flailed her arms around frantically. For a moment, time seemed to stand still and she wondered if she was going to die.

And then her senses kicked in.

She wasn't in the water. She was simply trapped in a vision, seeing through the eyes of someone who was swimming. She looked around through the blue-green murky depths around her and tried to figure out what was going on.

The pain in her stomach had subsided some, and she was able to think clearly. Or, more clearly than she had moments ago. She knew she was in a vision, but she was not sure how that was possible. She certainly had not made the connection with anyone, and she doubted there was anyone out there who would have made a connection with her.

So what was going on?

The answer came in the form of the doe-eyed brunette that Tess had secretly (and not so secretly) blamed for her misery on Earth.

Liz Parker.

"_Max?" Liz cried out, kneeling down next to her boyfriend. She came slowly into view slowly, worry etched over her soft features. Her eyes were filled with concern, fear, and love. A set of frown lines temporarily disturbed the skin on her forehead._

_It was then that Tess realized whose eyes she was looking through. She had not made this connection, but her son had. In his distress and fear, he had reached out across the great expanse of space and connected with the last person in the entire universe that Tess wanted to even think about._

_But she was stuck in the vision, with no way out._

"_Just tell us what happened," Michael's voice called. He was out of the range of Tess' vision, but she recognized his voice clearly. He was upset and worried, and slightly amused by the entire situation._

"_Feel free to leave out the lurid details," came another voice, sarcastic and biting. Isabel._

"_Look," Liz replied, turning away from Max and looking back over her shoulder. "I already told you. He was just, like, laying there in the water, and he woke up in the car. But he hasn't said a single word. You guys, isn't there some cure for this?" Her voice had reached hysteria now as she turned and glanced back at Max. "You guys are the aliens, do something here!"_

_Michael stepped into view, reaching over and slapping Max. Through Max's eyes, Tess could clearly see the sunken look on Michael's face. He seemed older than she remembered, as though he has suddenly aged drastically over night. His expression exuded a feeling of exhaustion and defeat._

"_Maxwell," Michael ylled. "Hey, Maxwell, wake up!" _

_The scene lurched, and Tess realized that Max was sitting up now, and staring about the room. His gaze fell on Isabel, and Tess noted the other hybrid's shorter, darker hair with a start. She frowned slightly, thinking to herself that Isabel looked much better as a blonde._

"_What the hell is going on?" Michael demanded, and Max turned to look at him. He shook his head and swallowed, and although Tess could not see the actions, she could almost feel them, as though she really was inside him._

_Max turned to Liz and whispered, "Something happened." She got up shakily and continued in a soft and worried voice, "I had this vision. It was my son, he's been born."_

"_Max…?" Liz asked gently, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder._

"_He was reaching out to me," Max continued. "He's in trouble…" _

_Michael and Isabel exchanged darkly significant looks and Isabel said, "What about Tess? Is she in trouble too?" There was real worry in her voice, and something else… Was it guilt?_

_Tess frowned, wondering.. Did they know what had happened to her? What had really happened to Alex?_

"**Ava," a voice called, bring Tess out of the vision. "Ava, can you hear me?"**

**Tess groaned and tried to roll to her side, but a set of hands stopped her, pushing her firmly back onto the pillows and cushions under her.**

"**Ava, listen to me…"**

_But whatever the person was going to say was lost as Tess was abruptly and unceremoniously pulled into a different vision. This time she floated to the side of the scene, seeing everything. She was no longer trapped in Max's body, no longer seeing only through his eyes._

_Max ran out of the pod chamber, his face filled with rage and pain. He stumbled across the rocks, and Michael appeared behind him, shoving him forward and away from the cave._

"_Max!" Isabel screamed, running towards her brother in fear. The ground began to shake around them, and then, through the ceiling of the cave, a bright light shot into the sky. A brilliant blue beam of energy that disappeared almost as soon as it had come._

_The pod chamber crumbled to the ground._

_Max turned and looked up at the light, his expression unreadable. He stayed like that for a moment, and the others did as well, each of them contemplating the future, and the changes it would bring._

_Then Max turned and ran to Liz, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I've been really wrong about a lot," he whispered, and Tess couldn't help but laugh bitterly at the statement. "But I was right about one thing: To get you into my life, to be around you, to love you."_

_Liz clung to him, and Tess turned away from the scene, pain flickering through her eyes and stabbing at her heart. Pushing thoughts of Max and Liz away, she found herself staring at Michael and Maria instead._

"_You opened the door and you came out-- why?" Maria asked, looking up at Michael, her eyes wide with confusion and wonder. Then realization dawned on her features, and she whispered, " You stayed for me." _

_Michael reached out and dragged her into a hug, saying nothing. The two stayed like that for a moment, lost in the moment. Tess smiled at the show of emotion. Although she was still currently furious at all of the pod squad and their human loves, the romantic side of her found the scene poignant and moving._

"_What happens now, Max?"_

_Max looked at the others behind him and sighed, his expression dark and brooding. "I have to save my son…"_

"**Larek, if we don't do something, the Heir may be lost." The voice was sharp and worried, and Tess jolted from the vision at the words. She blinked once or twice, and her vision focused on the others in the room. They appeared as blurry shapes, without distinct features. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words froze on her dry lips as she was thrown into another vision.**

"_Liz, I just want to put everything behind us," Max whispered, kissing Liz softly. It was Liz' break from work, and they were standing in the back of the Crashdown, talking in hushed voices. _

_Liz broke the kiss and looked up at Max seriously. "Yeah, you know, I would too if I had impregnated an alien killer who murdered one of our best friends and then left the planet with my unborn child." Her voice was tinged with bitterness and hurt._

"_So you're still holding on to that?" Max asked quietly, looking away guiltily._

_Liz opened her to reply, but the door swung open and Kyle walked into the room. He nodded to them briefly, but did not say anything, instead just pushing past them and walking on. He did not want to see them, did not want to face them. Too much had happened for him to welcome the aliens into his life._

_Before Tess had come, he and his father had been…well, whatever they had been, it wasn't a family. Then Tess came, and she had turned their lives upside down. But she brought with her a sense of family that Kyle had not felt since his mother left. And now that she had betrayed them and left, it felt even worse than before. His father was suddenly so far away from him, lost in his own pain and confusion, and he himself was filled with a sense of emptiness and despair that refused to leave._

"_Kyle?" Liz asked, feeling her heart breaking as she stared at the boy who had once been her boyfriend. "How are you?"_

_Kyle laughed bitterly at the question and replied, "Oh, I'm just great, Liz." He rolled his eyes sarcastically and continued, " How are_ _you on this fine day?"_

"_I'm sorry. I know that you aren't okay. None of us are, not since Tess…" Liz broke off, unsure of what to say. Kyle stared at her blankly for a moment, then shook his head and turned away._

_Tess watched him, wishing she could tell him the truth, wishing she could tell him that she would never have hurt him like that. She loved him, he was her family. Couldn't he see that? She reached her hand out towards him, as though hoping that, even though it was only a vision, he would sense her presence._

_He sensed nothing._

"_Well, with any luck Khivar is currently torturing that traitor to death," a angry and vengeful voice stated. Maria had joined the discussion._

"_Maria!" Liz said sharply._

"_What? Like you aren't thinking exactly the same thing?" Maria shot back. "She killed Alex, she killed our best friend! There is nothing Khivar or anyone else could do to her that would make me actually shed a tear. She deserves whatever she gets."_

"_Don't say that," Kyle said softly, quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want her to…just don't say that." He turned to go, his eyes downcast and haunted._

"_Why do you care about her?" Max asked angrily, staring at the tense back of the football jock. "She's a traitor, a murderer!"_

_Kyle swung around, his face white, his eyes wide. He slammed his fist into the wall and hissed, "Don't you think I know that, Max? She mind-warped me into carrying Alex's dead body. We took her in, we made her family and she…" He stopped and swallowed back his angry words. In a calmer voice, he continued, "She betrayed us all, and it kills me to think of that. And I hate the fact that I don't want her dead, that no matter how much I hate her, I _can't_ want that. But, damn it, Max, murderer or not, she still _feels _like my sister."_

"**Larek, what is happening to her? Why is she shaking like that?"**

"**I don't know, but I can feel energy leaving her. She is fading."**

"**What do we do? How can we help her?"**

"**Ava? Ava, can you hear me? Ava!"**

**A violent wave of pain rushed through Tess' body and another contraction made her curl into a fetal position. Her eyes filled with tears as she struggled to remain conscious, but once again, she was torn away from her body and thrown into a vision.**

_Max and Isabel were standing at the back door of the Crashdown, staring out at the alley behind the restaurant. Isabel's eyes were filled with hidden tears and her mouth had dropped open. Max's hands were clenched in fists by his side, and his entire body was shaking with anger._

_Tess turned and looked down the alley to see what they were looking at, and her eyes went wide in surprise._

_She was staring at herself. _

'_Tess' walked towards the others, seemingly unaware of their anger and fury. She paused by Max and smiled softly, giving him a brief, "Hello," before turning to push past him onto the street._

_Max caught her hand and swung her sharply around, his eyes cold. "What are you doing here, Tess?" he snarled, unable to comprehend what he was seeing._

_Before 'Tess' could respond, the door behind Max opened, and Maria, Michael, and Liz all stepped out into the alley. They froze at the scene before them, Liz let out a strangled sob, and Maria ran forward and slapped the blonde alien with all her strength._

'_Tess' stumbled backwards in surprise, falling out of Max's grip and turning wide eyes to Maria. She reached up and touched her cheek gingerly, and asked in a confused and angry voice, "What the hell is your problem?"_

"_You murderer!" Maria snarled. "I'll kill you, I'll _kill_ you!" She hit 'Tess' again, knocking her to the ground, then snapped, "Get up!" 'Tess' made no move to obey the command, so Maria stepped forward and grabbed her by the shoulders, yanking her to her feet. "I said Get Up!" _

_Maria's angry outburst brought Michael to his senses, and he hurried over to her, grabbing her wrists and dragging her away from the others girl. "Don't," he whispered soothingly, holding her tightly against his chest. "She's not worth it."_

"_I trusted you," Isabel hissed, tears falling rapidly from her eyes. "And if Kyle hadn't seen you kill Alex, if he hadn't broken out of the mind-warp, you would have just sold us out to Khivar."_

"_What are you doing here?" Max demanded, raising his hand and preparing to attack. "I sent you to Antar so our son could live, you come back here and endanger him? Does he mean so little to you that you would sacrifice his life just to torment us?"_

'_Tess' looked at them, her eyes wide, and then comprehension dawned on her features. They had sent the real Tess away, thinking she was the murderer. They had sent her back to Khivar. They had betrayed her._

_She laughed._

**Tess cried out, more in fury than in pain, and struggled to push herself out of the vision. She didn't want to see this shape-shifter, this woman who had stolen her life. She didn't want to watch the others realize the truth. She didn't want to know what had happened, what they thought, how they felt. **

**She just wanted to forget.**

**For a moment, she saw the room around her quite clearly. Larek was leaning over her, his face filled with concern and fear. Khai stood stiffly behind, his eyes slightly averted from Tess' prone form. Sria hovered in the back ground, anxious.**

**Then the vision continued.**

_She was in the alley again, and everyone was still there, but it looked as though some time had passed. The rage that had been on the faces of her former friends was now replaced by what she could only assume was guilt. Liz was staring down at her hands nervously, Maria was shaking her head in denial, Michael had sunk onto one of the steps and was staring blankly into the distance, Isabel was sobbing, and Max just looked numb._

_And the shape-shifter was laughing at them._

"_But…she admitted to it," Max whispered. "She told me…she said…she admitted! Why would she admit to something she didn't do?" He was clutching at straws, begging for a way out of the mess he suddenly found himself in._

"_Would you have believed her if she had denied it?" the shape-shifter replied coldly, her words harsh, but true. "You would have sent her away no matter what. Admit it, she _never_ mattered to you." Her eyes glittered with malicious mirth._

_Max swallowed and looked away from the shape-shifter, his eyes filled with horror at what they had done. "No…that's not…it isn't…possible…"_

"_You really are a fool," the shape-shifter snarled, laughing cruelly. "You sent your wife and son into an unknown danger without a second thought." She smiled with mocking amusement. _

"_We didn't know," Michael spoke up, his voice hoarse and unnaturally subdued. "We didn't…"_

"_Of course not," the shape-shifter sneered. She pushed a blonde strand of hair out of her face and switched her piercing gaze from Max to Michael. "You never bothered to question it." Only that…_human_," the word came out contemptuous and full of disdainful loathing, "Kyle, actually thought to question what he had seen. And he was the one who had seen it with his own eyes. If anything, he should have been the one to believe, and you should have been the one to question."_

"_Where is she?" Isabel asked, stepping forward threateningly, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "Where is Tess?"_

_The shape-shifter shrugged carelessly and replied, "Hell if I know." _

_Isabel lifted a hand and threw the shape-shifter against the wall of the Crashdown. "Tell me!" she snarled. Her fury and self-reproach were so great that she did not even stop to worry about anyone seeing her use her powers. "Tell us where Tess is. Now!"_

_The shape-shifter picked herself up off the floor and touched her bruised side gingerly. "Hmm," she murmured, as though contemplating her choices. "Tell them where she is or remain silent and let them suffer. Which should I do…?"_

_Max raised his hand threateningly, but the shape-shifter just smiled serenely._

"_Go ahead and kill me. It won't do you much good, now, will it?" She grinned again, then yawned and said, "I honestly don't know where she is. I haven't been in touch with Khivar since the Queen left, so I have no way of knowing."_

_Michael glanced over at Max. "If she doesn't know anything, she is of no more use to us," he said coldly, angrily. His rage was barely kept under control._

_Isabel turned and looked at Michael. She licked her dry lips and rubbed her red rimmed eyes. "He's right, Max. We aren't going to get any more information out of her."_

"_Oh, so you are going to kill me now?" the shape-shifter asked, raising an eyebrow at Michael. "Well, that is very thrilling and all, but I don't actually plan on dying today. I have a few too many other things to do." She lifted a single strand of dark hair and held it between her fingers, eyeing it appraisingly. "I must admit, I've always wondered what it would be like to be the king."_

_Isabel prepared to attack the shape-shifter, but she was too slow. In one fluid movement, the shape-shifter morphed into Max, and raised her hand, using Max's powers to conjure a force-field. _

"_What the…" Max started, staring at the reflection of himself. "Change back!" he spat. "Get out my shape!"_

_The shape-shifter laughed and shook her head. "Do you really think that three clueless teenagers could overpower a trained assassin? I am the best of the best, and you are nothing compared to me." She flicked her wrist, causing a pulse of energy to fly from her fingertips and strike Max, Michael, and Isabel in the chest. The three cried out and fell back, momentarily stunned._

_Maria and Liz jumped to their feet, reading to attack the shape-shifter, but they were too slow. A wave of energy hit them both in the chest, and they too crumpled to the ground._

_The shape-shifter closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating, then morphed into her natural shape. She was a tall woman, with long black hair and bright green eyes. Her skin was pale, so pale it was almost translucent. She was thin and elegant, and carried herself with regal poise. _

_She nodded to herself, pleased that her task was done. Unfortunately, she did not have the Granolith anymore, which meant that it would take her at least two weeks to get back to Antar. But that was of no consequence, because she had other information for Khivar, information that was so much better._

_She turned and walked away._

"**She's lost a lot of blood. What do we do?" someone asked, worried.**

"**Have you called for a healer?" another voice demanded anxiously.**

"**One is on the way. But there is not much a healer will be able to do if she continues to be stuck in these fits," the first voice said again.**

"**What are the fits? I've never seen anything like it. She's shaking and trembling, and her eyes are all glazed over…it is as though she is stuck in a nightmare. Larek, what is happening to her?" The third voice was high pitched and full of panic.**

"**I have no idea, Sria," came the heavy reply.**

"_So…we sent Tess…she's now…and she didn't…Alex wasn't…what I saw…?" Kyle stammered, his voice cracking as he tried to form words._

_Max and Isabel both looked at the floor and nodded. They were sitting in the Valenti's living room, having just repeated everything they had found out from the shape-shifter. Kyle had grown increasingly more pale during the explanation, and Jim had, at some point, stood up and walked over to the window. He was standing there now, staring silently out at the sky._

"_We have to save her," Michael said determinedly. He entered the room from the kitchen, followed by Liz and Maria. Liz walked over at sat down next to Max, her face pale and drawn. Maria perched on one of the armchairs, and Michael stood behind her._

_Kyle buried his face in his hands._

"_How?" Isabel demanded. "We don't even know where she is."_

"_Can you dream-walk her?" Liz suggested quietly, glancing over at the hybrid princess._

_Isabel frowned slightly and shrugged. "I doubt it. I mean, she is on the other side of the universe. But maybe…maybe if I had Michael and Max to help me, and maybe with those orbs…if I had enough power…"_

"_What if she doesn't want to talk to you?" Jim pointed out, speaking for the first time since Max had revealed the truth. He turned from the window and looked at the others in the room. "What if she doesn't want to be saved?"_

"_Of course she wants to be saved," Maria replied, shocked at the comment. "Why would she _want_ to stay with her enemy?"_

"_Maybe she doesn't want to be saved by _us_," Kyle spoke up, glancing at his father. "Maybe she doesn't want to see us again…"_

"_We were tricked," Michael replied. "We were lead to believe it was her… she'll forgive us. She has to." He sounded much more confident than he felt._

"_If it had been you in her place, how forgiving would you be?" Kyle asked, his voice thick with guilt and pain._

_A dismal silence fell over the group at those words._

"**The healer's here, Larek," a voice whispered. Tess writhed in agony and tried to open her eyes against the harsh light, but she was so tired she could barely flutter her eyelashes.**

"**Good, show him in," Larek's voice ordered gruffly.**

"**Sir," a new voice said, "I am Korbi. The Lady Arya said you needed a healer?"**

"**Over here, Healer Korbi."**

**There was the sound of footsteps on the carpet, then a sharp in take of breath and the healer said, "That's…that's the hybrid of the Queen. I sense Ava in her." There was another pause, then the voice continued, "Is she…with child?"**

"**Yes. Can you heal her?"**

_Isabel gasped in pain and doubled over, yanking her hand away from the picture of Tess she had been using to dream-walk. Both Michael and Max moved to her side instantly, worried. _

"_Are you alright?" Max breathed, glancing appraisingly over his sister. "Should we take a break?"_

_Tess looked around the room. She was in Isabel's room, and the three aliens were all crammed together on Isabel's bed. Max and Michael were holding the healing stones, and Isabel was running her finger around a picture of Tess. She looked pale and worn out, and her breath was coming in uneven gasps._

"_I couldn't reach her, Max. There was just too much…space…in between us. I can't get through to her," Isabel whispered. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. "I'm sorry."_

"_We have to keep trying!" Max said desperately._

"_We've tried everything, Maxwell," Michael replied stoically, although he too wanted to keep trying. But they were running out of options…_

"_My wife and son are somewhere out there," Max snapped, jumping off the bed and pacing across the floor. "They are in danger. They _need_ me."_

_Tess stiffened at that and narrowed her eyes. Like hell they needed him._

"_Max…"_

"_I have to find them, Izzy. I have to…" Max sunk into a sitting position on the floor and wrapped his arms around his legs, lowering his head to his knees. His entire posture was defeated, and he looked for all the world like a man on death row. "I don't know what to do anymore. I knew before…everything was so clear before, but now…How am I suppose to do this? How am I suppose to be a king?"_

**A warm glow spread through Tess' stomach, and her pain subsided slightly. She managed to open her eyes and stare up into the warm brown eyes of the healer who was bending over her. He had both his hands out over her body, and his eyebrows were knit together in concentration.**

"**Hold on, Ava," a voice ****whispered near her head. "Just hold on."**

_She was drowning. The water closed up over her head and no matter how hard she struggled, how loud she wanted to scream, she couldn't keep from sinking further away. The surface seemed so far above her, she couldn't reach it. Through the murky water, she could see the form of Liz, standing above her and on the shore. There were rows of trees behind the human girl, and the dark night sky shone with stars overhead. _

_Her lungs ached. _

_Her chest burned. _

_Her head pounded._

_Her eyes stung._

_Her abdomen contracted._

And then she was abruptly awake. The water disappeared, and she was lying on the sofa in a room in Larek's palace. She was dry, but her clothes were covered in a sticky red substance. Larek was standing next to her, Sria was kneeling at her side. Khai stood a few steps behind Sria, his arms folded over his chest. The healer sat by her knees, one glowing hand extended over her stomach, the other clutching something small.

It was then that she realized the pain in her stomach had stopped.

She heard a tiny wail, and managed to catch sight of the tiny bundle in the healer's hands, saw a tuft of dark hair and a set of wide blue eyes staring back at her, heard Sria's soothing voice whisper, "That's your son, Ava, isn't he a wonder?" before the darkness slipped around her and fell into a peaceful slumber.

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Next Chapter: This Little Light of Mine 

Due: Thursday 12/2

Just to remind you all, the shape-shifter can assume any shape and use that person's powers if she has a sample of their DNA. So the "single strand ofdark hair" that she had was Max's, and she used it to morph into him.


	7. This Little Light of Mine

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I forgot to put the day at the top of the last chapter, but 'Birth' was the fifth day after Tess' arrival. Just a reminder, this story is 14 days in all (because that is how long it takes the shape-shifter to reach Khivar once she leaves Earth, and how long Tess has to prove that she can be Queen before the real battles start).

Okay, just a reminder of who the major players are:

Tess and Larek, of course

Audin-diplomat to Larek from the planet Byor

Arya-the regional ruler from the province of Tel'ai, which is the capital province on Antar. She was recently deposed by Khivar

Khai-main general and leader of the Resistance, Rath's younger brother

Sria- the original Ava's best friend, one of Larek's advisors, and a native of the planet L'so

Lotho-general of Larek's army (like Rath was for Zan), married to Kani.

Kani-married to Lotho, she is one of Larek's closest friends and advisors

Other people introduced by not that important: Radim, Trell, Zyith are all members of the Resistance. Korbi is a healer who saved Tess from dying during childbirth.

Places of importance:

Tel'ai-capital province of Antar, has Dimaras Rock, where Zan met Ava. The Triaji Desert, the Cortai Jungle, the Landra River, and the Fel Mountains are all located in this province as well.

Antar-the capital city of Antar has the same name as the planet. Khivar is planning something for the city, but the Resistance does not know what it is.

Sab-a city in Tel'ai that Khivar attacked and decimated, no adults were left alive.

Mt. Sinai-a mountain in Tel'ai, it's name means (in Antarian) 'mountain of fate'

If it helps, I can keep this section in each chapter and update it when new people, places, and events appear.

* * *

Re: Mony19: Thanks for your review, I'm glad you liked the flashes. I was trying to think of what to do for the birth, and then I remembered how Tess' son had reached out to Max in the begining of the third season, and I thought it would be cool to use that. I really did want to show what was happening on Earth, but since this story is so focused on Tess, I needed to keep her involved. We will get a few more glimpes of Earth, and maybe even a conversation at some point between Tess and someone else, but since Tess is still on the otherside of the universe, the people left on Earth will only play a minor role for now. As for becoming Queen on her own, well... the days ahead are about to get pretty bad for her... 

Re: mel: I'm glad you liked the chapter, it was fun to write. And I needed to show everyone a little glimpse of life on earth. I'm not really a fan of the others on Earth either, and especially not of Max. And they aren't going to be forgiven that easily. And they sort of already know that.

Re: Jade: The thing is, I'm not actually a rebel because I really don't like Max. So for right now, Max is still in love with Liz. Because he's a jerk. But Tess and the baby will definitely put a strain on the dreamer relationship.

Re: bklyangel: Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the story.

Re: Denethor's Angel: Don't worry, there will be a bit more about the others on Earth. They might even manage to contact Tess at some point, I haven't really figured that out yet. Max is still in love with Liz, but the relationship will fall under a lot of tension because of this new development. I don't know if I'm going to have them remember more about their past lives or not. Do you think I should? I want them to want to find Tess because she's _Tess_, not because they remember her as Ava. Did that make sense? Anyway, I'm flattered you like the chapter so much.

Re: Ellethiel: I looked back at what I had written as the response to your last review, and realized it _was _a cliffhanger. I had no idea how much I left hanging when I wrote it, I was just trying to answer your questions without giving too much away. :) I wish the series had gone differently also, but it didn't, so that's why I'm writing fanfiction. :) As for Maria and Liz, I really am not trying to make them evil. I wanted to show that the pod squad was manipulated by Khivar and the shape-shifter, and that Maria and Liz, like everyone else, fell into that trap. Of course, they were much more willing to believe the worst of Tess...

* * *

crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

This Little Light Of Mine

_Day 6_

Sunrays streamed in through the window, casting heat on Tess' face. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking in the early morning light. She sat up slowly and saw that she was in her own room, lying in her bed. She blinked, and stretched, feeling her tense muscles pull against her bones. Then she pushed the covers away and slipped out of bed, placing her bare feet on the carpeted floor.

Then she saw it.

In the corner of the room was a tiny crib, partially hidden in the shadows away from the window. It was elegantly made from a dark cherry wood, inlaid with silver and tiny sparkling emeralds. Inside was a pile of blankets, soft cotton and refined wool. And in the pile of blankets…

Tess crept closer, holding her breath. She paused as she neared the crib, suddenly irrationally worried. What if she made a horrible mother? What if she ruined everything for her son? What if she felt no connection to him? What if she didn't know what to do?

Oh, God. What if she had no idea what to do?

Gathering her courage, she took the last few steps and hovered above the crib, peering at the child wrapped in blankets. He had a small tuft of raven hair, and his beautiful blue eyes were open, staring up at her in wonder. She reached out, extending a finger towards her son, and he lifted his tiny hand and wrapped his palm around her finger in a tight grip.

Her heart swelled instantly. She reached into the crib, and pulled the child from his blankets. Holding him tightly against her chest, she hummed and rocked back and forth, staring at the precious bundle in her hands.

There was a sharp knock on the door, and Tess turned to see it swing slowly inward, revealing Larek, Lotho, and Kani. Tess smiled at them, her entire face filled with radiance. "Isn't he beautiful?" she cooed, reaching her arms out to display her son.

Kani was the first to speak. She walked over and peered down at the child. "He does not look like you," she remarked. "Except for the eyes."

Tess frowned at the comment and said, "He looks like his father." Even at such a young age, she could see the likeness to Max. He had the same hair, the same face shape, the same skin tone, and he wore the same expression of detached wonder that had so often filled Max's face. He was a tiny replica of his father. Except for the eyes.

Her eyes.

Kani reached out and touched the child's soft skin. Her eyes shown with reverence, a reverence that startled Tess. No one, not even Larek or Sria, had ever looked at Tess with that much awe or veneration. It was unsettling, the way she stared at the young boy like he was a god.

"Have you thought of a name?" Lotho asked in his rich baritone.

Tess hesitated, biting her lip. "I had…" she admitted reluctantly. "I thought, maybe… Alexander? Alex for short?"

Kani frowned disapprovingly at the suggestion and said, "He is the Heir, he should have an Antarian name." Her voice was filled with censure.

Larek cut in before Tess had a chance to respond. "Many other would like to see the Heir as well. If you feel he is up to the excursion, Ava, we would like to take your son to the Council Chambers."

Tess nodded reluctantly, irrationally wanting to keep her son to herself.

* * *

"He is a beauty," Sria remarked, giving Tess a warm smile. 

"Indeed," Khai agreed. "He is the Heir." His voice was soft, reverent, a type of gentleness Tess had only ever heard the one time he spoke of his brother. Of Rath.

"I can feel his power," Arya commented. She took her seat as the others slowly drifted away from Tess and back to their spots around the tables. "It is tremendous."

"He looks very human," Audin said, puzzled. "How is that possible, if he is full Antarian?"

"Antarians and humans do not look that different," Lotho pointed out. "And anyway, both his parents' physiology is humanoid, so he probably inherited that."

"Have you thought of a name?" Arya asked, echoing Lotho's earlier question.

Tess glanced automatically at Kani, wondering how much opposition her choice would garner. "I was thinking of Alex," she said, trying her best to sound forceful and in charge. Her voice, however, wavered slightly as she spoke.

"It is not Antarian," Khai objected instantly. He pulled out his chair, the legs scratching roughly against the floor, and sank into it, his face a picture of disapproval. "The Heir cannot have a human name."

"It is named after a departed loved one," Sria pointed out. "That is in keeping with Antarian traditions." She too took her seat, folding her hands in her lap and glaring at Khai in annoyance.

"But the people will not want…" Khai began, but he was cut off by Arya.

"The people will accept the Heir, regardless of his name," Arya countered in her musical voice. She pushed a strand of silver hair out of her silver eyes and continued, "They will be thankful to get out from under Khivar's rule."

"Not all of them," Kani pointed out. "There are plenty of Antarians who prosper under Khivar, and would not be so welcoming of a change. It is them that we need to worry about, and they will not take an Heir with a human appearance and a human name.

Tess sat down next to Larek, feeling the control slowly slip away from her as the others argued over the merits of her chosen name. She closed her eyes briefly, still exhausted, mentally and physically, from the night before.

Her brief show a weakness instantly caught Audin's attention, and the Byor diplomat said gruffly, "Are you alright, my Lady? I heard you had a rough birthing?"

"Yes, what happened?" Sria asked, turning her attention away from the escalating argument and glancing over at Tess. "I have never seen anyone react to childbirth the way you did. Healer Korbi said the same."

"I…my son…reached out to his father. I saw visions of Earth," Tess replied quietly.

A silence fell over the room as all eyes swung to face Tess incredulously. "You what?" Larek whispered. "How? What did you see?"

Tess shifted her son slightly, freeing one hand, and ran it through her hair. After a moment of hesitation, she turned to Arya and said, "Your theory about the shape-shifter was correct. I saw her, I saw when the others discovered what had happened, I saw when the shape-shifter left Earth, I saw…" She swallowed nervously and said, "I saw them move on with their lives." The hurt and sorrow in her words was not lost on the others in the room, and there was an awkward silence.

Then Khai spoke up. "Did you see Rath…Michael?" he asked, his voice oddly filled with hope. "How is he?"

Tess stared at Khai for a moment, her eyes blank. How was Michael? She pictured his horror-filled eyes, his haunted expression. He had looked as though he was filled with despair. He just realized he sacrificed one of his family to her enemy. He had lost out on his only chance to go home. He had realized how many things he had been so wrong about.

And the very bitter and cynical part of Tess not only relished Michael's suffering, but also enjoyed the fact that she had the opportunity to throw it all in Khai's face. Let him see what it feels like to be on the receiving end of bad news and bitter words.

But as she glanced down at her now sleeping son, she thought back to Sria words from the day before.

_I don't deny that you have a reason to be angry with Michael. Or with the others. But you have to bear in mind, Ava, that the people here…we grew up with Zan. With a Zan who was an extraordinary man and a very beloved King. To hear you speak so unfavorably of them… it hurts us. They were the soul if this planet…_

Her inner demons and angels had a brief, but bitter, struggle, and the angels won out. "He is in love," she replied, smiling at the memory of Maria and Michael by the cave. "He is… happy."

Khai nodded, smiling slightly. Although he was disturbed by the fact that his brother had not returned home with the Queen, he could not deny that he was pleased that his brother was at least happy. It was one less thing to worry about.

"What do we do now?" Sria asked, cutting into the silence.

"How can we best protect the Heir?" Kani added. "That should be our first worry."

"I still think we should sent the Queen and the Heir to Antar," Arya replied. She glanced at the sleeping child in Tess' arms and continued, "The birth of the Heir will greatly increase the Resistance's hope."

"But we cannot risk having Khivar find out about his birth," Lotho pointed out. "Taking him to Antar would be dangerous."

"It would be easy to smuggle a child into the planet, even one who has the same energy as the King and Queen," Kani countered, shaking her head. "It is getting Ava there that concerns me."

"We don't need Ava," Khai said quickly. All eyes turned to him. He shrugged and continued, "The Heir is all that is needed to raise the spirits of our fighters. Ava is not necessary, especially since she now longer is the highest ranking royal. Her son outranks her."

"You will not take my son from me!" Tess snarled.

Khai raised an eyebrow at her and said, "I was not suggesting that. What I was suggesting is that we no longer waste time on trying to train Ava to be the Queen. We don't need her in that capacity, we have someone better." He nodded to the child.

"He has a point," Audin assented.

"What exactly are you saying?" Tess demanded, her voice dangerously low.

"I am suggesting that we no longer waste valuable time on training Ava. We are walking a tightrope, one missed step and all will be lost," Khai replied, but he was not looking at Tess. He directed the comment to Larek, who was frowning, displeased with the conversation.

"Ava could lead them into battle. The Heir could not," Sria pointed out.

"Ava will never learn the gifts needed to be a Queen. Not in time," Khai snapped back. "She will be a burden."

Once again, Tess felt the situation slip from her control. Although she had no idea how to regain control over the conversation, she tried her best to sound authoritative as she said, "I am the Queen. I can learn to lead."

"But can you learn to lead in a little over a week?" Arya asked. "Once Khivar knows you are here, he will attack. We must be prepared to fight him then, or we will never win. We are running out of time."

A gloomy silence met those words. Tess seethed angrily as she stared down at her son and played with his strands of fine hair. She bit her lip as she realized with startling clarity that _none_ of the people here had believed in her. Khai was the only one who had been willing to put his concerns to voice before, but they all secretly thought that she couldn't be Queen. They only pretended to believe because they didn't have any other choice. Now that the Heir was born, now that they had a substitute for her, she was no longer needed.

Only Sria and Larek were on her side.

Larek, for his part, seemed torn between his faith in Tess and his recognition of the truth in Arya's and Khai's words. The rest remained silent, waiting for Larek or Tess to speak.

Finally, Tess said, "How many people know that I am here?"

"The three royals and the three humans on Earth know that you left the planet, although they may not know specifically where you are," Sria answered instantly. "Then there are seven of us, the family that found you when your ship crashed, and the people you met with yesterday. Radim, Trell, Ziyth…"

"And me," Tess added. "I know I am here as well." She blinked, realizing how completely inane her words sounded.

"And Healer Korbi," Larek added, his eyes darkening in apprehension.

"That's a lot," Tess said slowly, freeing one hand to rub her eyes. "How can we be sure that the secret of my presence isn't already in danger?"

"Are you accusing us of betraying you?" Sria asked, laughing.

Tess smiled at her and shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing around her face. "No, but there is a saying from Earth. 'Three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead.' The more people who know…"

"She is right," Larek said. "We must be careful with this information. Ava's presence is out greatest advantage. But if Khivar finds out, it may become our greatest weakness."

Another silence fell over the room, then Audin asked gruffly, "Do you still want me to send a message to our allies on Byor to see whether or not the Queen could escape to the planet if she needs to?"

"We still need that as a backup option," Arya commented. "Things may not be safe for her here before long."

"The Heir needs to go to Antar," Khai objected.

"We can't shut out any options," Larek pointed out. "We should plan on sending Ava and her son to Antar, but we need a back up plan. Just in case."

"But we can't tell anyone on Byor that Ava is here," Khai pointed out heatedly.

"Then our message will just have to be discreet," Sria replied calmly.

And yet again, Tess realized that her future was completely out on her control. She knew instinctively that she should take control of the situation, but she couldn't figure out how. She hissed a breath out in frustration and stared down at her tiny son, taking in his precious details. Her heart swelled with hope as she gazed into his sleeping face.

She had brought something so wonderful into the world.

_She_ had done this.

She had done _this_.

Maybe things would work out after all.

"Is all of Byor sympathetic to our cause?" Tess asked once the conversation lulled.

"Not all," Audin replied. "And officially, they have to be impartial. Like Larek, the Minister of our planet has declared that he is independent in the war. He will not enter either side."

"The same is true for the President of L'so," Sria added, speaking of her own planet. "The seven of us here are a secret confederation who support the Resistance. Khivar knows of our existence, but not who is in it."

Tess frowned, her eyebrows scrunching together as she focused on a bit of information Sria had revealed. "You have a Minister and a President? What about a King?"

"Some planets have royalty, some do not," Arya answered in her musical voice. "Antar has royalty, as do Nathor and Darto, two other planets in the Southern Beltway. And of course, Larek is a King as well. You all rule by succession. Byor and L'so officials are elected."

"Why aren't all planets democratic?" Tess questioned.

Arya rolled her eyes at the question. "It is only human arrogance that assumes democracy is the only way to rule a country." Her voice was disdainful, and Tess realized with a start that Arya had included _her_ when she used the word 'human.' On Earth she could not fit in because she was half alien, here she was classified as a lower species because she was a human hybrid.

Ironic.

Ironic in a really frustrating way.

"But why do people accept a ruler? Why do they accept that one family is meant to rule over them all?" Tess questioned.

"Because those trained to rule are trained to do what is best for the country," Audin answered. "It is not like royalty on Earth, the kings and queens cannot just do whatever they want with their power."

"They are raised to think of themselves as servants of the people," Sria added. "Not masters or overlords."

"But do they never get corrupted by power?" Tess asked.

"If they do, they are deposed," Kani replied, shrugging carelessly. "I assume that they get corrupted just as frequently, or infrequently, as your presidents and prime ministers. And if they abuse their power, they meet the same fate."

"But they rarely abuse their power," Larek added. He smiled, and Tess remembered that he was a King himself. Of course he would say that he never abused power…

Kani laughed. "Obviously you would say that," she replied. "But he is right," she added, turning back to Tess. "Rulers do not abuse their power."

"How can they? They are not raised to think of it as their own," Audin added. "Like Sria said, they are the servants and the people are the masters."

"Millennia of social mores are hard to ignore," Lotho added. "How can they break a belief that is such a fundamental part of their society?"

"See how little she knows?" Khai murmured.

Audin assented, "It would be difficult to train her to be a Queen."

"Indeed," Kani agreed.

Tess flushed crimson and glared at the others in the room.

They ignored her.

"So we should assume that Ava and the Heir will return to Antar when we start the war?" Khai asked, his eyes sweeping over everyone in the room. "No need to train her in the meantime?"

"Alex," Tess cut in forcefully.

"What?" Khai asked, impatiently.

"My son's name is Alex," Tess continued, her voice low and threatening, as though daring someone to challenge her.

Khai glared at her in open resentment, while Kani and Arya exchanged apprehensive glances. Larek closed his eyes briefly, Audin cleared his throat uncomfortably, and Lotho narrowed his lips into a thin line, and stared at Tess appraisingly. Only Sria seemed unperturbed by the statement. In fact, she lifted a hand quickly to stifle her giggle and looked away, the mirth dancing in her eyes.

Khai snarled bitterly and continued, "If it is at all possible, we shall send Ava and _Alex_ to Antar. Are we agreed?"

A murmur of assent rippled through the others, then Lotho said, "I still think that we should train Ava to lead."

"Why?" Arya asked pointedly.

Lotho shrugged. "She may help us," he replied simply. He glanced over at Tess, then back to the others. "I leave today for Antar. I have a meeting with a few officials in Khivar's army. I will try and get in touch with the Resistance if I can. Perhaps any knew knowledge I gain from them will shed some light on our dilemma."

Kani wrapped her fingers tightly around Lotho's hand, the fear visible on her face. "Don't put yourself in too much danger," she whispered. "Promise me you won't do anything stupidly noble."

Lotho smiled at her gently. "You worry too much."

"Do you really think that Ava can lead?" Audin asked, breaking the tender moment.

Lotho glanced over at Audin, then back at Tess. "I don't know," he admitted honestly. "Your pardon, my Lady, but I honestly don't know whether or not you can lead. What I do know is that we have been given a chance to bring back the Queen. One of the Royal Four. Her son may be the Heir, but he cannot lead. Not yet, anyway. And she may very well be our salvation in this war. I would hate to see us waste that simply because training her would be _difficult_."

* * *

Tess carefully dressed her son in the clothes that Sria had brought her, then turned and stared moodily at the redhead. The two were sitting in her room, having just left the Council Chambers moments before. Tess was still seething from the meeting, and even Sria had lost her usual smile and light laughter. 

"They mean well," Sria said at last, breaking the tense silence.

"By shutting me out?" Tess snapped.

"They are trying to do what they think it best," Sria objected. She ran a hand through her hair and continued, "Ava, they want to save Antar from Khivar. They want that with all their heart and all their soul. Whatever else you think about them, don't question that their intentions are good."

"And none of them think that training me is worthwhile? That all I am is a waste of time?" Tess shot back.

Sria closed her eyes for a moment, then spoke slowly, picking her words carefully. "We are running out of time. The Resistance is running out of resources, running out of strength. And whatever Khivar is planning for the capital city, whatever his reasons for moving his troops the way he is… Ava, we are _terrified_. One strong blow, and Khivar could ruin us."

"I could help," Tess said moodily.

"I don't doubt that you would make a great Queen," Sria said honestly. "Because, like Larek, I see my best friend in you. I see the other Ava, the other Queen."

"But…?" Tess prompted.

"But we are scared, and we do not have time or resources to waste," Sria said gently. "And the people… they will not follow you unless you can give them a reason to do so."

Tess got up and started to pace. "How am I supposed to do that?" she hissed.

"I don't know," Sria answered quietly, truthfully.

Tess glared at Sria in annoyance. "That is a lot of help," she spat.

Sria smiled sadly. "I wish I could give you and easy answer, Ava." She ran a hand through her red hair and continued, "Lotho made a good point, we can't just give up. Khai will continue to train you and we will see what happens."

"At least Lotho believes I might be able to do this," Tess murmured. She closed her eyes and took a breath, trying to calm her frayed nerves. "I should buy him flowers or chocolates or something as a thank-you gift." Her voice was sarcastic, her expression frustrated, her countenance bitter.

The child suddenly began to cry, and Tess spun around to face him. Instantly, her anger faded, and she hurried over to scoop up her son. "Hey, sweetie, don't cry, Mommy's here," she murmured, rocking the child back and forth. Little Alex stopped crying, and Tess smiled down at him with tenderness and love radiating from her glowing face.

In that instant, looking upon her best friend, Sria knew that whatever else Tess was or wasn't able to be, she would be an amazing mother.

* * *

"This is outrageous!" Larek's voice snarled, furious. 

"What are we going to do?" came Arya's worried reply.

"It is an act of war. We should respond in kind," Audin's heavy baritone suggested.

Tess paused outside the door to the Council Chambers, confused. After several hours of thinking, she had decided to take Alex and try to talk to Larek. Perhaps the alien king would have some advice to offer her. Perhaps he would help her clear her confused mind and organize her muddled thoughts.

Not knowing where Larek was likely to be at this hour, she had decided to try the Council Chambers, hoping that, if he was not there, someone would be there would could tell her where he was. But when she had arrived outside the doors to the Chamber, she had heard angry voices coming from within, and stopped to listen, worried and concerned.

A sudden irrational wave of fear ran through her as she pushed the door open and stepped into the room.

Six sets of eyes turned to look at her.

Arya was pacing back and forth across the room, her heels clicking softly on the carpet. Khai and Larek stood at the far end of the room, their expression grave and angry. Audin sat on one of the chairs, his entire body shaking with pent up rage. Kani stood in the middle of the room, sobbing, while Sria tried to comfort her.

Tess walked farther into the room, frowning slightly. She shifted Alex gently to her other his and freed her right hand. Reaching out, she placed it on Kani's shoulder, hoping to comfort the distraught woman. Kani, however, just brushed her aside and stepped further into the room.

"What's going on?" Tess asked, turning to Larek. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean, this is an act of war? What is an act of war? And by whom? What happened?" The panic was increasing rapidly now, and her heart beat frantically.

The silence stretched for a moment, awkward and tense. Larek and Khai both averted their gaze and stared at the floor. Arya resumed her pacing, while Audin stared down at his hands. Kani sunk to her knees, her pale face streaked with tears, her body shaking with tremors of grief. Sria knelt by the distraught woman, her eyes still focused on Tess.

It was Arya who finally spoke, pushing her hair out of her face and turning tear-filled silver eyes to Tess. "One of Khivar's pilots shot down Lotho's plane as it was entering Antarian airspace." She paused, bit her lip, then rushed the next words together, her voice strangled and hoarse.

"There were no survivors."

* * *

Next Chapter: Darkness Falls 

Due: Sunday 12/4


	8. Darkness Falls

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I should warn you now that several of the remaining chapters of this story are going to be sad. So bring a box of tissues...:) Also, the story takes place at night, and Tess is thinking back about the day. So anything in _italics _is a flashback.

Okay, just a reminder of who the major players are:

Tess and Larek, of course

Audin-diplomat to Larek from the planet Byor

Arya-the regional ruler from the province of Tel'ai, which is the capital province on Antar. She was recently deposed by Khivar

Khai-main general and leader of the Resistance, Rath's younger brother

Sria- the original Ava's best friend, one of Larek's advisors, and a native of the planet L'so

Lotho-general of Larek's army (like Rath was for Zan), married to Kani, killed by Khivar's army.

Kani-married to Lotho, she is one of Larek's closest friends and advisors

Other people introduced but not that important: Radim, Trell, Zyith are all members of the Resistance. Korbi is a healer who saved Tess from dying during childbirth. Tunia is a spy that the Resistance sent into the capital city of Antar to try to discover Khivar's plans (see chapter 'The First Endless Day' if confused).

Places of importance:

Tel'ai-capital province of Antar, has Dimaras Rock, where Zan met Ava. The Triaji Desert, the Cortai Jungle, the Landra River, and the Fel Mountains are all located in this province as well.

Antar-the capital city of Antar has the same name as the planet. Khivar is planning something for the city, but the Resistance does not know what it is.

Sab-a city in Tel'ai that Khivar attacked and decimated, no adults were left alive.

Mt. Sinai-a mountain in Tel'ai, it's name means (in Antarian) 'mountain of fate'

* * *

Re: Mony19: I'm glad you liked the Tess-little Alex interactions. The problem isn't entirely Khai, although I know he isn't the nicest character. Tess really does have a lot to learn about being Queen. I mean, Nasedo told her she was a Queen, but he never really told her what that entails, and she needs to prove to everyone that she can do this before they will follow her blindly into battle... As for Lotho, he is actually dead, which is seen clearly in this chapter. 

Re: Duccia: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you like the 'crucible' line, that definition was actually what gave me the inspiration for this story to start with. That's why I put it at the top of each chapter. And yes, Max is a jerk.

* * *

crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

Darkness Falls

_Day 7_

The night sky was ablaze with pinks and blues as the sun sank slowly below the horizon. Tess leaned against the cold balcony railing, her sapphire eyes staring off into the distance. The wind whipped around her, buffeting her hair and clothes, but she took no notice. The night was cold, and the chill sunk into her bones, leaving her depressed and dejected.

Yesterday, when she had learned about the governing systems on other planets, she found it inconceivable that people would willing accept a monarchy. Now, looking back at the events of today, she couldn't help but wonder why the monarchs allowed themselves to become kings and queens in the first place. Who would agree to this? Who would want the task? Who would accept such a burdensome life?

Her troubled thoughts drifted off into darker matters as the sun finally finished its descent, and disappeared completely from view. The stars were obscured by the shadows of clouds that played back and forth across the sky. Even the moon barely managed to cast its faint glow through the thick swirling haze of fog and mist.

Darkness had fallen.

_Flashback: Earlier That Day: Morning_

_Tess drummed her fingers on the table and bit her lip, casting a sideways glance at Larek. He was stone-faced, his eyes hard and cold. His countenance was one of thunder, and Tess could feel the power radiating off of him._

"_Why would Khivar attack Lotho?" Arya asked at last, breaking the tense silence. The morning light streamed in through the window behind her, illuminating her silver hair and skin. Her face was filled with sorrow as she rubbed tired eyes. They had spent the entire night discussing the attack, and had ended up, in the morning, with the same conclusion they had already reached from the day before._

_They had no idea what was going on._

_And they were running out of time._

"_Larek has declared himself impartial. An attack on Lotho is a blatant act of war," Khai added, his expression confused. "Khivar certainly could not wish that."_

"_Does he suspect Larek of aiding the Resistance?" Tess questioned._

"_He does not suspect," Audin replied darkly. He shook his head, his dark hair falling in front of his black eyes. Pushing the strands away impatiently, he continued, "He _knows_. But without any proof, he cannot attack Larek, or else he risks the anger of the Council of the Worlds."_

"_The what?"_

_It was Sria who explained. "The Council of the Worlds in a governing body made up of diplomats from all the worlds in our System. It's job is to maintain the peace. As long as Larek declares himself impartial, and there is no proof that he is otherwise involved in the Antarian Civil War, the Council will protect him. Khivar cannot attack, or the Council could strip him of his powers, send an army against him, and ultimately demand his life."_

"_Khivar would not attack Lotho unless he had proof that Larek was his enemy. Or that Lotho himself was a threat," Audin added._

"_Which means he must have proof of some kind," Larek murmured softly. His voice was calm, his expression impassive, but his dark green eyes betrayed his fear. After a moment of silence, Larek turned to Arya. "How is Kani?" he asked gently._

_Arya sighed and shook her head. "Inconsolable," she murmured._

_Another silence met those words. What do you say to someone who has lost the love of her life? What could they say that would ever make things better for her? How do you console someone for the loss of their soul mate, of half of their soul?_

"_And we are sure Lotho wasn't just…captured or lost or missing or something?" Tess asked, knowing she was clutching at straws._

"_They pulled his mangled body out of the wreckage," Sria murmured. "The Resistance had a few men there, observing the scene. Khivar's men pulled Lotho's body out of the ship and… and bu-burned it. I saw the reports, complete with pi-pictures, myself." She stumbled slightly over the words, as though unwilling to believe what she had seen._

_Tess' mouth dropped open in horror. Burning the dead was the utmost sign of disrespect. Especially for a General like Lotho, who would have had a large, elaborate, public funeral… Burning was considered base, cruel, malicious, rude… The destruction of the body was… unspeakable._

_The blonde hybrid blinked suddenly, wondering where that information had come from._

Tess sighed and turned away from the night sky. She glanced back into her bedroom, staring at the crib where her son slept peacefully. Running a hand through her long hair, she closed her eyes and tried in vain to push away the memories that threatened to consume her. Images swirled behind her closed eyelids. She could see the crying child, his face stark white, as he begged for someone to find his sister. She could hear Kani's sobs as the alien widow sank to the floor with grief. She could see the fury on Sria's face as she spoke of Lotho's cremation.

The memories would not leave her alone.

_Flashback: Earlier That Day: Afternoon_

"_He has proof," Audin announced, stalking into the Council Chambers. Tess, Larek, Sria, and Khai looked up in surprise at his words. They had been meeting briefly to discuss retaliation tactics, while Arya had left to try to comfort the still distraught Kani._

"_What?" Sria asked, confusion etched on her features._

"_Khivar has proof that Larek is against him," Audin elaborated wearily._

"_How?" Larek asked, paling slightly. He had been so careful…they had all been so careful. How could the skin-King know? What proof could he have? Audin's words echoed through his mind, filling him with a nameless dread._

"_Tunia," Larek replied._

"_Who?" Tess asked, turning away from Tess and meeting Audin's eyes. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it._

"_She's the spy that you sent into the capital city," Khai answered automatically, his voice darkening slightly as he guessed what Audin had meant. He turned his eyes to the diplomat and hissed angrily, "She was captured, wasn't she?"_

_Audin nodded dumbly, unable to force words out of his mouth. The others stared at him in horror, each understanding what that meant. Khivar had a spy in his grasp. Khivar had the ability to mind-rape._

_Khivar had the chance to get at all their secrets._

"_No," Audin murmured, correctly interpreting the terror on the other's faces. "He doesn't know that much. Tunia prevented him from taking anything from her mind accept the fact that Larek was providing us sanctuary here."_

"_How did she prevent it?" Tess asked._

_A silence met her words. All eyes looked away, and Tess blinked in confusion. Her question was simple, straight-forward. Why was it receiving such a response?_

_It was Khai who finally provided the answer. "She committed suicide, didn't she?"_

_Tess stared at him in open-mouthed horror._

"_It is common," Audin explained, taking a seat across from Tess. "Spies are trained to kill themselves to protect their secrets. It is a form of martyrdom." _

"_It's barbaric," Tess protested._

"_You've obviously never fought a war," Khai sneered, his lips curling upwards in disdain. "If she had not killed herself, Khivar would have had access to every bit of information he needed to crush the Resistance. Millions would have died. Tunia would have died eventually as well, once she was no longer useful." He crossed his arms and glared at Tess, as though daring her to contradict him._

"_Don't insult Tunia," Audin added sharply. "What she does requires strength of conviction. It was quite heroic."_

_Tess flushed and looked away._

"_What exactly do we know?" Larek asked, interrupting to forestall and argument._

_Audin sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "Tunia had the power of telepathic connections. She linked minds with Trell as soon as she was taken to Khivar."_

"_Did Trell see her die?" Tess questioned, her voice soft as she tried to understand what Audin was saying._

"_A telepathic link in more than just seeing through someone else's eyes. It is feeling what they feel as well. So, no, Trell didn't _see_ her die. He _felt _it," Larek said somberly. _

_A dismal silence met those words, then Audin continued bitterly, "He saw and felt everything that she went through. Saw and felt everything that she did." He stood up and began pacing in agitation. His face was flushed with an odd light as he turned to Larek and said, "Khivar is planning to bring Her back."_

_A deafening silence met those words. _

"_When?" Khai asked quickly, stiffly, his eyes angry._

_Audin swallowed and shook his head. "Tunia wasn't able to figure that out. But she said it will take a while, a few months maybe."_

"_How does he plan on doing it?" Larek whispered, fear in his eyes._

_Again, Audin shrugged. "But that is obviously why he is moving the troops around the capital city like that. Once she is back, he is expecting an attack on the city, and he wants the final battle to be fought there."_

_Khai slammed his fist to the table in frustration. "And if it is fought there, Khivar will be able to cut off our supply lines. His troops will surround us and attack us from the inside out, and from the outside in. We will be crushed."_

"_We could not attack the city."_

"_If he brings Her back, we have no choice."_

"_Somebody want to explain what is going on?" Tess asked._

_Larek glanced over at her and said, "You remember how Khivar had moved his troops so that they were circling the capital city?" Tess nodded, and Larek continued quietly, "He is going to bring Her back to Antar. If he can do that, if he brings Her to the capital city, we will have no choice but to attack. And then, with his troops completely surrounding us from the outside, and stationed next to us all through the city, we will have no chance. The Resistance could be crushed in days."_

"_Who is this woman? Who is Her? Why would you have to attack her?" Tess asked._

"_Because she is the utmost traitor to our cause, and not attacking her would be the same as agreeing that she has the right to rule. Without Zan or the Heir, she _is_ the next in line. The Council of the Worlds would accept her."_

_Tess swallowed, her eyes widening as she realized what Larek was saying. "You mean… Vilandra?"_

_Larek nodded, and Tess turned to Audin. "But how will he do that? Isabel is not Vilandra, she won't return. She won't work with him."_

"_Isabel won't," Audin replied gruffly. "But if he could turn Isabel into Vilandra…" He paused in his pacing long enough to give Tess his full attention. His eyes misty with exhaustion and despair, he continued, "Tunia couldn't figure out any of the details, she was only able to glean that much before she was captured. She gave the information to us and then Khivar came and…"_

"_At least she prevented Khivar from learning more about us," Khai murmured. "After all, Khivar already knew that Larek was against him."_

"_But now he has proof!" Audin hissed._

"_Does he?" Khai asked mildly. "He needs more than just proof. He needs proof that the Council of the Worlds would accept. And with Tunia dead, no one can look in her mind anymore. Larek can simply say that Khivar is lying, and there is nothing the skin could do to prove otherwise."_

"_They will accept the proof," Audin replied grimly. "You _know _the Council of the Worlds suspects Larek. They will accept Khivar's proof, and he will declare war." He shook his head in disgust and closed his eyes, drawing a shaky breath.  
_

"_Then we should declare war first," Khai answered, his eyes glinting._

"_I do not want to instigate a war while Ava and her son are here," Larek replied, frowning as he shot an apprehensive glance at the hybrid Queen. "It is too dangerous. What if Khivar quarantines us, and they are never able to leave the planet? They could be caught, and killed."_

"_Khivar doesn't know that they are here yet," Audin opened his eyes and assured Larek. "He will not know to look for them for another week or so, and there are several ways that could secretly leave the planet." He walked slowly over to his seat and sank back into it, licking his suddenly dry lips. A war... It would mean death and destruction for whoever lost...and quite a bit of death for the one who won. But wasn't war inevitable at this point? Hadn't it always been inevitable, ever since Khivar siezed the throne? Larek and Zan were friends, the two planets had diplomatic relations...Khivar's coup had made war necessary. As much as they had hoped Larek would be able to stay...officially...out of the war, hadn't they always known, deep down, that this was not to be?_

_The diplomat from Byor frowned, worried. If Larek joined into the war, how long would it be before his own world was forced to join sides? What would this mean for his planet and his people?  
_

"_I agree with Audin," Khai commented. "We cannot, in good faith, allow Lotho's death to go unpunished."_

_The silence in the room was stiff and heavy as all eyes turned to Larek. This was ultimately his planet, and therefore his decision, and what he decided in the next moments may well rule all their fates. Breath held tight, they waited._

_Larek slowly nodded. "So be it," he murmured. "We go to war."_

"_Then, if that is decided, we now need to discuss how Ava is going to contact Tunia's family," Khai continued, switching subjects._

"_Wh-what?" Tess stuttered, confused._

"_We cannot risk telling anyone of her presence," Larek objected, pursing his lips into a straight line as he frowned at Khai's words._

"_She sent Tunia to her death. She has to explain it to Tunia's family," Khai replied determinedly. "It is Antarian custom. She is responsible."_

"_Hardly," Tess snapped. "I wasn't the one who picked her, and I wasn't the one who even came up with the idea to send a spy in the first place."_

"_But you were the one who gave the final order," Sria said gently, speaking up again for the first time since Audin had initially entered the room. "And it is Antarian custom for the Queen or King to explain to the family of a departed soldier why their family member died."_

"_But we can't risk anyone knowing of Ava's presence," Larek repeated. He understood the custom and supported it. It worked as a reminder to the King and Queen that when they started a war, they were playing with actual lives. War was not pretty, not clean. __It was not all strategy and tactics.__ It was real people with real families who were dying. Tunia was, after all, someone's daughter, and that someone had the right to know why his or her daughter was dead.  
_

"_How well do you think the people of Antar would follow a Queen who does not even complete a simple custom like this?" Khai demanded. He crossed his arms and pressed, "And you know that people will find out."_

"_How can it be my fault when I did nothing?" Tess asked, still confused._

_Khai ignored her, his eyes focused on Larek. Finally, Larek nodded and said, "Of course, you are right. But she could wait until the end of the week, until Khivar knows of her presence, before she speaks to Tunia's family…"_

"_She had a husband and a three-year-old daughter," Khai said, bowing his head in acceptance of Larek's words. "And her mother and father I believe are still alive. I don't think she had any siblings, but I will have someone look into that."_

_Audin glanced over at Khai and said, "Even if she lost her life, we did get an answer. It was a good idea of yours to send a spy into the city."_

"_The cost was high," Khai objected softly._

"_The cost of war is always high," came Audin's reply. "More would have died if we had not discovered Khivar's intent."_

"_But we have no way of stopping Khivar. Even with Tunia's information, we're _still_ in trouble," Sria said despondently._

"_But at least we aren't going into this blind," Audin murmured. His eyes fixed on Khai, he continued, "It _was_ a good plan. At least, it was the best one that we had."_

_Khai bowed his head again, nodding slowly. "I suppose," he murmured._

_Tess blinked, glancing back and forth between Khai and Audin incredulously. "So I get blamed for a death that I had no control over, but I don't get credit for the idea of sending in a spy?"_

"_It wasn't your idea," Khai replied sneeringly. "How could you get credit for it?"_

"_How can I be blamed for something that wasn't my idea either?" Tess demanded._

"_Don't be childish, Ava," Khai snapped, his face twisted in frustration and anger. "The order was yours, so you will accept the consequences of it. The idea was not yours, so you do not get to claim the credit for it."_

"_I'm not being childish!" Tess hissed. "You're being unfair."_

"_If you want to be the Queen, you have to understand that this is the way things work," Khai shot back. "Obviously, you don't have the ability to do that…"_

"_Khai…" Sria warned, her voice reprimanding._

"_What?" Khai asked, turning to face the shorter woman. "She is acting like a brat? How can she expect to be Queen if she does not understand what comes with it?"_

"_Don't be so harsh, she is trying," Sria defended her friend._

"_And you are blinded by the hope that you can have your best friend back. Your Ava is dead. Accept it, this hybrid is not the Queen you knew!"_

_Sria was shocked into silence by the bitter truth in Khai's words._

"_You're never going to give me a chance, are you?" Tess hissed, jumping to her feet. The chair she was sitting on scraped back against the floor, balanced on its two back legs, then fell to the floor with a sharp crash. Tess ignored it, her eyes flashing with fury as she glared at the Antarian general. "There is nothing I can ever do that will make me good enough for you!"_

"_Act like a Queen, and I will follow you," Khai snapped. "I am taking my time to train you. My time, which is actually rather precious. You may not realize this, but I _lead_ the Resistance, Ava. I have thousands, millions of people, who look to me to protect them, and I am wasting valuable time training a hybrid who doesn't even want to learn!"_

"_Of course I want to learn!"_

"_No, you don't. You want everyone to automatically follow you. It doesn't work that way," Khai snarled. "You have to earn our allegiance. Just being who you are is not enough."_

_The words struck a blow to Tess, and she staggered backwards. She swallowed the bitter taste of fury in her mouth and replied in a deathly quiet voice, "No, I guess it isn't." She licked her dry lips and shook her head in ironic disbelief. "Simply being who I am has _never_ been enough." She turned and stormed from the room._

_Larek made to rise, but Sria gestured for him to stop. She got up herself and murmured softly to him, "Let me talk to her," then hurried through the hallway after her friend._

_She caught up with Tess at the end of the corridor, and grabbed the hybrid's arm, halting her in her tracks. "Ava, wait."_

_Tess spun around to face Sria, tears streaming down her cheeks. "What?" she hissed, her blue eyes clouded with grief and guilt._

"_You can't just storm out," Sria objected sharply. She nodded towards the Council Chambers and continued, "We are in the middle of a meeting concerning the planet you claim to be the Queen of."_

"_I _am_ the Queen!" Tess snarled back, her face flushed crimson at Sria's harsh words._

"_Then act like it," Sria responded, not backing down from Tess' anger. Her green eyes sparkled with anger and frustration as she ordered, "Go back in there, apologize to Khai, and deal with everything that happened."_

"_Apologize?" Tess gave an incredulous chuckle. "For what? Defending myself?"_

"_What is there to defend?" Sria asked, softening her tone as she saw Tess flinch. "You are Queen. You are responsible for everything that happens. Including Tunia's death."_

"_That was out of my control," Tess defended herself. "She killed herself."_

"_Doesn't make it any less your fault," Sria replied quietly. She turned away from Tess and glanced back down the hallway to the set of double doors at the end. Behind the double doors, some of the most influential, important, and powerful people were currently holding a conference that could very well decide the fate of an entire planet. She needed to be there, needed to know what they were saying._

"_How can it be my fault if I can't control it?" Tess whispered._

_Sria looked back at her, then shook her head in annoyance. "Ava, being a Queen isn't simply being a leader. It is being a scapegoat as well. Being the doormat for everyone else's problems. Taking responsibility for the things you can't control. Accepting that when you make a decision, it will affect millions of people. Directly or indirectly, you are responsible for Tunia's death. Khai and Larek may have suggested sending Tunia into the city, Zyith may have supported it, but _you_ are the one who gave the final order."_

"_But I had no way of knowing what would happen," Tess protested. "I barely even gave the order, it was mostly Khai's decision. Why do I get the blame when he gets the credit? It isn't fair!"_

_Sria turned unreadable eyes to her friend, her lips curving slightly into a bitter and ironic smile. "Life isn't fair, Ava. I would have thought you of all people would know that." _

_Tess swallowed and looked away. She couldn't bring herself to meet Sria's piercing gaze, feeling upset and ashamed by the way she had been acting._

"_If the other Ava had stormed out of a meeting," Sria murmured, "I would have reprimanded her too." She placed a hand on Tess' arm and smiled softly. "But it would not have lowered my opinion of her. And it does not lower my opinion of you. I _know_ you are trying. And I know Khai is…unpleasant. And I know that very few people seem to have faith in you."_

"_No, really?" Tess interrupted sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed." She laughed bitterly, but abruptly fell into silence and looked down again._

"_But they can teach you what you need to know. Especially Khai. Stick with him, and he will be the best teacher you've ever had."_

"_He's a jerk. A unfair, egocentric, jerk," Tess snapped._

_This time Sria smiled fully, her face breaking into a grin. "Most Generals are."_

"_Do you still think I'd make a good Queen?" Tess asked hesitantly, her eyes searching Sria's face, desperately wanting an affirmative answer._

"_You mean because you just acted like a spoiled brat?" Sria replied. She paused for a moment, really thinking over the words. "I guess I don't really know. I see the bits and pieces of a truly remarkable leader buried in you. You could be a good Queen, if you can figure out how to connect with those characteristics."_

"_Everything I need is inside me, I just need to have faith in myself," Tess intoned dryly. "Sounds like one of those cheap fortunes you find in fortune cookies. Or the affirmation the high school counselor makes you say every time you go and see her…"_

"_It may be a cliché, but it is true, isn't it?"_

_Tess nodded wordlessly._

"_Come back. Apologize," Sria requested, pulling at Tess' arm. Tess hesitated for a moment, and Sria pressed, "You say you are the Queen, Ava. Then be one. Take the good and the bad and deal with it. Because if you truly want to be Queen, then you need to accept _everything_ that comes with it."_

_Tess' blue eyes clouded slightly with confusion and frustration as she bowed her head in acceptance and guilt. But for the first time since Nasedo had explained to her who she was and where she was from, she wondered whether or not this actually _was_ what she wanted._

"Ava?"

Tess turned to see Kani standing in the doorway, looking at her. She was dressed all in black, her blonde hair pulled away from her face and covered with a black shawl. Her pale face was devoid of make-up, her skin seemed sallower than usual, and her eyes no longer danced with laughter. Her entire body sagged with exhaustion and grief.

"Kani…how are you?" Tess asked, realizing how trite and insignificant her words sounded in the face of all that Kani had lost.

Kani gave a dark chuckle. "I told him not to do anything stupid, but does he listen to me?" she whispered, her voice hoarse from weeping. "Never."

"I'm so sorry," Tess said. She walked into the room, gesturing for Kani to join her. Leaning over the crib, Tess stared at her son and wondered briefly how she would feel if she lost him. The thought was so cruel, so unbearable, so horrific, she felt the instant need to hold her son, to feel his weight in her arms, to reassure herself that he was still there.

Kani watched as Tess picked up the young boy and rocked him back and forth. "He's a beauty," she murmured. Tess smiled gratefully at the comment and Kani remarked, "I heard you had a rough day."

Tess raised a single eyebrow at the observation, and replied, "You could say that."

"It's about to get worse," Kani said slowly. "There was another attack on another city in Tel'ai. It was completely decimated, like Sab. No adults left alive."

Tess closed her eyes for a moment, nodding. "Another city that circles the capital?" she asked.

Kani nodded and replied, "Khivar is moving quickly and brutally. We may not have much time."

"It could take him months to turn Isabel and bring her here," Tess contradicted. "At least, that is what Audin said."

"But it would take us much longer than months to prepare for her arrival. Especially since we have no way of stopping it," Kani pointed out. She closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. "I wish Lotho were here to help us. He would know what to do," she murmured.

Tess felt her heart break at Kani's sorrow-laden words, but before she had a chance to reply, Kani was speaking again.

"Larek just officially declared war on Khivar. We are having a meeting to discuss our next course of action, and what this all will mean for the Resistance. Come, the meeting's about to start."

Tess sighed, wished briefly that her days could end once the night came, then followed Kani from the room.

* * *

Next Chapter: Acts of War 

Due: Thursday 12/8


	9. Acts of War

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: So, first order of business: Due to knew site rules, I can no longer post replies to review in the chapter itself. So, from now on, I will reply to the review via the reply button (I am still replying to the last chapter's reviews in this chapter, but this is the last time). Either make sure to log in when you review, or, if you are not a registered user of this site, leave your e-mail in the appropriate box in the review, and I will do my best to reply promptly. Also, from here on out, there will be mentions of violence due to the fact that Tess and the others are in the middle of a war. Nothing graphic or gruesome, but still violent. There will be many sad moments in the chapters as well, so I am warning you now, be prepared to be depressed by some things.

And, although it is not explicitly said in this chapter, just a reminder, Larek has officially declared war on Khivar.

* * *

Okay, just a reminder of who the major players are: 

Tess and Larek, of course

Alex-Tess's son, named after Alex Whitman

Audin-diplomat to Larek from the planet Byor

Arya-the regional ruler from the province of Tel'ai, which is the capital province on Antar. She was recently deposed by Khivar

Khai-main general and leader of the Resistance, Rath's younger brother

Sria- the original Ava's best friend, one of Larek's advisors, and a native of the planet L'so

Lotho-general of Larek's army (like Rath was for Zan), married to Kani, killed by Khivar's army.

Kani-married to Lotho, she is one of Larek's closest friends and advisors

Other people introduced but not as important: Radim, Trell, Zyith are all members of the Resistance. Korbi is a healer who saved Tess from dying during childbirth. Tunia is a spy that the Resistance sent into the capital city of Antar to try to discover Khivar's plans (see chapter 'The First Endless Day' if confused), caught and killed by Khivar.

Places of importance:

Tel'ai-capital province of Antar, has Dimaras Rock, where Zan met Ava. The Triaji Desert, the Cortai Jungle, the Landra River, and the Fel Mountains are all located in this province as well.

Antar-the capital city of Antar has the same name as the planet. Khivar is planning something for the city, but the Resistance does not know what it is.

Sab and Drasu-cities in Tel'ai that Khivar attacked and decimated, no adults were left alive in either.

Mt. Sinai-a mountain in Tel'ai, it's name means (in Antarian) 'mountain of fate'

* * *

Re: Mony19: Thanks for the review. I was definitely playing the sympathy card with Kani, so I am glad you feel sorry for her. Yes, she did love Lotho very much. As for Tess being very powerful, she is just as powerful as the previous Ava was, if she can just figure out how to channel that power. Larek, Sria, and Khai all have a pretty good idea of how strong she could be, since they knew her very well in her past life, but it is a matter of whether or not she reaches her potential. 

Re: Ellethiel: Thanks for the review. Lotho's death was definitely ironic in the sense that he was one of the few who believed in Tess. A lot of her situation is ironic right now. All of the people on earth who should have accepted her have turned their backs on her, but her human half prevents her from being accepted by all the Antarians. She isn't evil, the humans and other hybrids won't let her be one of them, she doesn't know how to be a Queen, but she can't be just a normal Antarian... Also, I think in the show, Max's son was human (he inheritted the human DNA from both his parents since Max and Tess are both half human) so that was why they could let him get adopted. And yes, Tess named her son after Alex.

* * *

crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

Chapter Nine: Acts of War

_Day 8_

Tess rubbed her eyes slowly and looked around the room. It was still dark, the sun had yet to rise over the horizon. She sat up slowly in bed and stretched, her limbs sore from the day before. It had been a long meeting, and she had been forced to sit for several hours listening to presentation after presentation.

First Zyith had talked about Khivar's latest siege. The city was Drasu, close to the Landra River. Like all the other cities the skin king had taken recently, it had little value as a captured city except that it encircled the capital. And like Sab, it had been brutally and systematically destroyed. No adult left alive.

Then Khai had briefly outlined the effects that this new war between Larek and Khivar would have on the Resistance. It may distract Khivar from attacking the Resistance bases on Antar itself, but the war could have a devastating effect if it caused Larek's planet too much damage. Without the planet as a back up, all of the rebels would be forced into hiding underground, and would no longer have the ability to meet with diplomats and ambassadors of other worlds. They would not be able to garner support for their cause, and without the aid of other planets…

Well, without the aid of other planets, there was very little to hope for.

Then Trell had arrived, laden with pictures of Drasu. Or, at least, of what Tess assumed had been Drasu. The pictures had been…indescribable. How could anyone do this to a city? How could anyone cause this type of destruction and not _care_?

Finally, Arya had announced that she was going to return to Antar. There were several ways to slip into the planet unnoticed, and she intended to take one of them and hide in the main Resistance base, which was located at the northern border of the Fel mountains. Hopefully, she would be able to provide assistance to the floundering rebels.

God knew they would need it.

Tess shook her head to clear her troubled thoughts. She had taken the pictures of Drasu with her, holding some sort of morbid fascination with them. She picked one up from the table by her bed, and turned on the light so that she could look at it.

It was a large picture, the size of a normal Earth magazine cover. It was glossy, and when she held it at the right angle, the colors seemed to leap off of the page. It was taken with an Antarian camera, which, as Sria had explained to her, captured the image through a series of photosytems that absorbed light, and then trapped the actual light onto a special piece of paper made from a series of microscopic disks that reflected the image back at her.

The picture looked more alive than Earth photo's did, as though the burning house was about to leap off of the page.

Tess traced a finger gently over the picture's edge. It showed a house in the foreground, ablaze with red and orange flames. The ground in front of the house was stained red with what she could only assume was blood. In the background, several other buildings were burning. Fragments of wood and stone littered the yards, and the streets were covered in shards of broken glass. Dirt, mud, and weeds had been raked from the yards and tracked across the roads. The air was gray with smoke and dust.

Here it was, picture after picture, evidence of Khivar's brutality. If only she could take these picture's to Earth, if only she could show them to the three other hybrids, would they still be so quick to turn their backs on their people?

Tess paused at another picture and felt her heart constrict painfully. It showed an alleyway between two tall buildings. The alley was mostly in shadows. A single street lamp stood at one end, casting a faint glow. The protective glass around the lamp had been broken, leaving the bulb exposed. The ground was littered in debris, bits of stone from one of the buildings, pieces of brick from the other, and the remains of the glass from the windows.

But it was not the destruction that caused Tess to tear up.

It was the body in the center of the picture. The girl could not have been more than four or five. Her dark black hair was pulled away from her face in two pigtails, and she was wearing a periwinkle blue dress and white shoes with a bow on the toe. Her skin was pale, her forehead covered in blood from a nasty cut that ran the entire width of her face. Her hands were clutched around a broken doll. Her body was half buried underneath a pile of rubble that had fallen from the buildings.

Next to her was another girl. She was seven or eight. Her dark hair fell loosely over her shoulders as she clasped the lifeless hand of her sister, her green eyes wide with horror. Her green dress was covered with dark red blood, her black shoes caked with mud. Her mouth was half open, forever frozen in a silent scream of terror.

Alex woke up and, sensing his mother's distress, began to cry. Tess tossed the picture aside as she hurried to her son. She held him tightly, shushing him and gently rocking him back and forth until he drifted back to sleep. Then she carried him out into the cool early morning air on the balcony, letting the door to her room shut behind her. She stared into the distance and let the tears run unabashedly down her face.

* * *

"Now that your son is born, and we do not need to worry about compromising his safety, you will learn how to fight," Khai instructed as he lifted his sword and swung it through the air. 

They were back in the large fish-bowl training room. Leaving Alex with Sria (which had been incredibly hard for her to do), Tess had been escorted to the room by a distraught and sardonic Khai, who had ceaselessly found ways to express his complete and utter lack of faith in her abilities. While no longer surprised by his feelings towards her, Tess couldn't help but think that Khai was even a bit colder today than usual, if that was at all possible. He was obviously upset over the latest development in the war, the pictures of Drasu had rattled him just as much as they had shaken her.

And Tess was always the convenient person to take his wrath out on.

"Take the sword," Khai continued, nodding towards a thin blade that lay near Tess' feet. She lifted it, hefting it slowly and trying to get used to the awkward weight in her hands. It was a simple sword, a long silver blade and a brass hand guard.

"You stand like an elephant," Khai snapped. "On your toes! You can't move fast enough if you are resting on your heals all the time."

Tess nodded wordlessly and shifted the weight to the balls of her feet. She watched apprehensively as Khai pointed his sword at her and began to advance.

Tess lifted her own blade, praying that somehow she would remember something about sword fighting. But as Khai's blade came whistling towards her, she gave into the inevitable, that this was going to be a long and bruising session.

* * *

Sria looked up from her seat as Tess entered the room. She was sitting in a chair by the window, holding Alex in her lap and reading through a bunch of papers and files for the Resistance. The light from the window fell on her face, illuminating her worn features. The death of Tunia and the subsequent declaration of war was taking it's toll on everyone. 

Tess looked around the room. She had never seen the inside of Sria's room. In fact, she had never seen the inside of any bedroom other than her own. Her days in Larek's castle had been almost entirely confined to her own room, or the meeting rooms.

Sria's room was smaller than her own, but nicely furnished. A set of windows opened to the eastern sky. The floor was carpeted in a thick blue rug, and the bed had matching blue sheets and a blue comforter. There were two chairs and a small sofa next to the fireplace, and a desk propped up against the far wall. Behind the desk was a closet, and next to the closet was a set of dressers. The desk, bed, and floor were strewn with papers, reports from the Resistance.

Sria got up and carefully handed Alex to his mother. Tess took her son gratefully, wincing slightly as Alex's weight settled onto her bruised arms. Instant concern jumped into Sria's eyes and she raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"I was learning how to fight," Tess replied, rolling her eyes as she emphasized the word fight. More like learning how to bruise on hard cement… Couldn't Khai have been a little less… _enthusiastic…_ about her training? She had come out of the room surprised that she was not entirely black and blue.

"How did it go?" Sria asked sympathetically.

Tess snorted and shrugged. "Khai wasn't in the most pleasant mood," she replied.

Sria nodded and reached down to pick up a pile of paper. "Well, there is the issue of Drasu. And of course, any mention of Vilandra cuts particularly deep." She straightened up and placed the papers on the seat of the chair, her eyes pensive. "I think that is what is bothering him the most at the moment. The idea that she could come back…"

"People don't seem to be that forgiving of her," Tess remarked casually.

"And especially not Khai," Sria replied. "I don't think he ever liked her, you know, but he tried to put up with her for Rath's sake. He always maintained that she was a bad influence on his brother…"

Tess blinked in surprise, suddenly remembering that Khai was Rath's brother. Which meant that Vilandra was his sister-in-law. To have the traitor in his own family…

"Some things are simply never forgiven, Ava," Sria remarked, her eyes haunted with memories of Vilandra's betrayal. "Betraying the man that worshipped the ground you walked on… No, Khai will not forgive her for everything she did to Rath. Not anytime soon, that is." She grinned suddenly, conspiratorially, and lowered her voice. "Of course, Khai always supported the idea of Zan abdicating and giving the throne to Rath. Always thought his brother would make a better king."

Tess was reminded vividly of Courtney. "There were some skins you believed the same," she replied. Sria nodded, and Tess asked suddenly, "Is that done? Abdicating, I mean. Handing the throne to someone else."

"Of course," Sria replied, dismissing the question and Tess' incredulous look with a wave of her hand. "You forget, Ava, that being the ruler here is very different from being the ruler on Earth. It if your job to do what is best for the people, and if you think someone else can lead better than you can, you give the throne to them. Of course, you are also passing the throne along to their entire family as well. If Zan abdicated to Rath, it would be Rath's son who was next in line, not Zan's."

"Is it done a lot?" Tess asked, intrigued by the thought. Did the monarchy constantly change from one family to the next?

"No, not a lot," Sria replied, frowning as she tried to recall the different times in Antarian history that the throne had been passed from one family to another. "But Zan's family has only been ruling for…maybe four hundred years? Not that long in the span of Antarian lives."

Tess accepted this, then a thought suddenly came to mind. "How long do Antarians live?"

"About one-hundred-and-eighty years," Sria replied. "A little more than twice the life span of a human."

"Does that mean my parents are still alive?"

The question caught Sria completely by surprise. She hesitated for a moment, wondering what to say, how to break the truth gently, then finally opted for being blunt. "Your mother passed away about three years ago, Ava. Your father was killed during the first war with Khivar. You were an only child, you have no family left here."

Tess swallowed and looked away, cursing herself for getting her hopes up. It appeared she really didn't have a family any more, except for Alex. She looked down at her young son and smiled, pulling him tightly to her. He regarded her through bright blue eyes, a tiny smile on his tiny features.

* * *

Khai paced the carpeted floor, his eyes darkened with frustration at the hopelessness of their situation. "We have looked at this from every possible angle, but always with the same results. We have no idea how to stop Khivar from bringing Vilandra back to Antar, and no idea how to prevent her from seizing control once she is here." 

Larek nodded, his face thoughtful as he too realized the utter bleakness of their situation. The four of them, Larek, Kani, Khai, and Tess, were meeting in the Council Chambers again. Arya had left for Antar a few hours earlier, and Audin was meeting with Trell and Radim to strategize a defense for Larek's planet. Sria had offered to baby-sit Alex once again so that Tess could attend the meeting without having to worry about her son.

"I still think our best bet is preventing Khivar from circling the capital with his troops," Kani said softly, her bloodshot eyes downcast.

"Zyith is returning to Antar with Arya," Khai replied. "He and some of the other Resistance leaders are gathering soldiers. They plan to fortify the other cities around the capital, the ones that Khivar is likely to take."

"Khivar may take them still, if he has a large enough army," Larek pointed out. "We could be sending out soldiers to their deaths, and that is only a waste of time and resources." He rested his chin on the palm of his hand and closed his dark green eyes in thought.

"What are we supposed to do? Let ourselves be lead like sheep to the slaughter?" Khai hissed, his wrath bubbling to the surface. "Vilandra is coming back, and we have no idea what to do!" His strides increased in length and ferocity until he was rapidly pacing the width of the room, trembling with rage.

Tess watched him, her eyes apprehensive. The only time she had ever seen anyone as angry as Khai was when she had confronted Max in the pod chamber, when she had fed him the lies he wanted to hear. Max had not been thinking clearly then, would Khai be thinking clearly now? Anger did funny things to people…

She could hear Sria's words echoing in her mind.

_Betraying the man that worshipped the ground you walked on… No, Khai will not forgive her for everything she did to Rath._

"Is there no way at all to stop Isabel from reverting into Vilandra?" Tess asked, breaking the uneasy silence that had fallen after Khai's outburst.

Khai shook his head gloomily and said nothing. Kani bit her bottom lip and looked away, her face brooding and irate. Larek, his eyes still closed, didn't even bother acknowledging the question. What was the point?

They all knew the answer anyway.

Finally, Khai said in a gruff and angry hiss, "Khivar will come on her unawares, and awaken the Vilandra within her. Once the Princess gains control over the hybrid body, Isabel will be completely subjugated to her. We are as good as dead," he finished dully.

A thought suddenly occurred to Tess, causing her to frown slightly and draw her eyebrows together in concentration. "What if she wasn't caught unawares?" Tess asked, switching her gaze from Khai to Larek and back to Khai. "What if Larek possessed Brody and warned her?"

Kani seemed slightly intrigued by the thought. "Interesting idea…" she mused, pursing her lips. "Perhaps if she knew that Khivar was after her, Isabel would be prepared enough to fight him off."

"It isn't a matter of fighting him off," Khai objected. "She won't be under any mind-control. It is simply being in Khivar's vicinity, and gaining a taste of the life she had before, that will awaken Vilandra."

"But if she could…" Kani started, but Khai shook his head and cut her off.

"You are still looking at this as though she would be possessed. Vilandra is part of who she is, it is inside her. How can she fight that?" His voice was angry, and filled with passionate loathing. The issue of his traitorous sister-in-law still cut deep.

"He's right, Ava," Larek murmured. "Even if she could fight it, who's to say she would? Khivar's ability to turn her has little to do with whether or not she knows that he is coming. Prepared or not, the Vilandra inside her would still want to come out."

"If being in Khivar's presence will bring out Vilandra, then being in Max, Michael, Liz, and Maria's presence should bring out Isabel, right?" Tess pointed out. "Maybe it isn't her we need to warn. Maybe it is them."

"What could they do to save her?" Larek began. "They don't know ho-"

"No," Khai cut in. He was staring at Tess appraisingly, and for the first time his eyes were not filled with disdain as he regarded the blonde hybrid. "She has a point. If Vi-Isabel were warned, if she told the others, they might be able to save her."

"How?" Kani asked hopefully, praying the plan would work. "How could they save her?"

"I don't know," Tess admitted reluctantly. "But they would figure it out. Family means everything to them, and they fight tooth and nail to keep each other safe." She looked away, her mind on earlier memories. "They risk everything for each other. It is hard to get close to them, but once you are in the inner circle, they never let you out. You are family forever."

That was true. Maria, Liz, Kyle, Jim… they had been accepted as family. They were part of the 'pod squad' now. The seven of them were a tight-knit unit, and family in some shape or form, and family was _everything_ to them. That belief, that their strength lay in each other, had been the backbone of the group, supporting them through trial after trial. Tess knew it was what had kept them alive. And she knew there had only ever been once exception to the 'forever family' rule.

Her.

Tess closed her eyes and pushed away the gloomy thought. What had happened, had happened. She couldn't change it now, why bother shedding tears over it?

Of course, that was much easier said than done.

Kani smiled suddenly. It was a small smile, a shadow of how she had smiled before Lotho's death, but it lit up her eyes nonetheless. "This might work," she murmured happily. "This might save us."

"How do we warn her?" Larek asked wearily. "I can't risk leaving my army or my planet unattended long enough to possess Brody, and she doesn't know anyone else here. Who else would she listen to?"

"Warning Isabel may very well save all our lives," Kani pointed out. "Surely you could take a moment to do that? It is only a tiny fraction of time you would be gone from the planet."

"Long enough for serious damage to be done," Larek replied. "I can't risk it, not with Khivar attacking us. I have to protect my people."

"But Vilandra would not trust any of us. She does not know us," Khai pointed out. "If you do not warn her, who can?"

"I can."

The words were out of Tess' mouth before she had a chance to consider them, and the moment she said it, she wished she could take them back. But all eyes had turned to her, staring at her in wonder, disbelief, and…was it hope?... and she knew she couldn't go back on what she said now.

It was Kani who broke the awkward silence. "You would do that?" she asked hoarsely, a thousand questions running through her mind. "We know you don't think that…_highly_…of her or the other royals. And how would you contact her? You don't have the ability to create telepathic connections, and it would take years for you to learn how to possess someone."

Tess considered the last question thoughtfully, then said, "Isabel and the others have been trying to find me. Through dream-walking. They weren't able to in the past, but maybe if I tried to reach out to them also…"

"It takes a lot of mental strength to do that," Khai warned.

Tess' lips curved into a sardonic smile. "You're the one who said I need to work on strengthening my mind. Reaching out across the universe to another planet seems like a good way to practice, doesn't it?"

"And you would do this?" Larek asked.

Tess glanced at him, pondering his question. Would she do this? Would she willing connect with one of the three people she least wanted to see in the entire universe? Would she face them, face her past, face the broken dreams and shattered hopes that she had left behind?

But she knew the answer to that, had known the answer all along.

She turned to Khai, her eyes serious. "Do you really think it could save us? If Max, Michael, and Isabel were warned?"

"I think it is the best option we've got," Khai replied without hesitation. "You'll do it?"

Tess bowed her head. "If it could save us? Yes, I will."

* * *

Next Chapter: Vengeance 

Due Date: Monday 12/12


	10. Vengeance

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's Note: Thanks to all who reviewed! This is another song-fic chapter. The song is called 'Twenty-Three' by Yellow Card. I got kind of sentimental in some parts, and kind of philosophical in others, so I apologize in advance for anyone who doesn't like mushiness or philosophy.

* * *

crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

Chapter 10: Vengeance

_**I got to tell you that he waited all his life  
For someone like you to come make the wrong things right  
I know he didn't have the answers all the time  
But you can't tell me that you've never told a lie  
**_

_Day 9_

"Okay, take a deep breath and fix your mind on a clear image of the person you want to reach," Sria instructed. She and Tess where sitting cross-legged on the floor of the hybrid's bedroom. It was early in the morning, and the sunlight flooded in through the windows, illuminating the room in a wash of orange and yellow light. Tess had her eyes closed, her face scrunched together in concentration, her lips compressed into a thin straight line.

"Now," Sria continued softly, her voice barely above a whisper, "Imagine this person is calling out to you. They are a very long ways away, and you can't quite hear what they are saying. What do you do?"

"Send an e-mail?" Tess answered dryly, opening one eye and shaking her head.

"A what?" Sria asked, puzzled.

Tess opened both eyes and sighed. "Never mind," she replied, waving away the question. She leaned back slightly, resting the weight of her upper body on the palms of her hand. "I can't connect with them, Sria. I don't know how."

"Just reach out and…"

"And try to hear the person who is calling to me from a 'very long ways away?'" Tess finished the sentence for her. "It's no use. I don't know _how_ to reach them." Her voice was fillled with impatient frustration and despair. What if she couldn't do this?

Sria sighed and said, alright, "Let's take a short break, shall we?" She looked away through the windows out into the distant sunrise, her mind on far away thoughts. At last, she said, "Have you thought of what you plan of saying when you see Vila-Isabel?"

Tess shook her head slowly, a contemplative expression on her features. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "I hadn't really thought that far." Mostly because she didn't want to be doing this anyway…

"Well, you might want to come up with something," Sria replied quietly, her eyes serious. "Know what you are going to say before you go in so that you are not caught by surprise. You don't want to say something you regret in the heat of the moment." Her voice was filled with a sort of understanding that made Tess feel as though Sria could see right through her.

Tess laughed bitterly. "There is very little I could say that I would _regret_," she spat. The words were cold and harsh, matching the hard look on her face.

"You don't mean that," Sria said sharply, glancing back at the hybrid. The light from the window fell across Sria's face, giving her an almost sureal appearance. Tess turned to her, raising two perfectly sculpted eyebrows in confusion. Sria met the other alien's gaze for a moment, then shrugged and continued, "You _know_ you don't mean that."

"You think I care…" Tess began, but the sound of Alex crying stopped her. She stood up quickly, the loose cotton of her night gown falling around her knees, and hurried to her son's crib. She lifted him from the soft blankets, murmuring gently, "Shh. Mommy's here. Don't cry."

"If you didn't care about them, you wouldn't be doing this," Sria said quietly, watching as Tess rocked her son until the child fell back into a peaceful slumber.

"I'm doing this for the Resistance and the people of Antar. It has nothing to do with Max, Isabel, or Michael," Tess shot back, gently laying her son back in the crib. She straightened and turned to Sria. "How could you _ever_ assume otherwise?"

"Because I _know_ you," Sria replied simply. "You may not be my best friend anymore, but there are still pieces of her in you, and I see that. You still care. You still love them. _Him_."

There was an uncomfortable silence as Tess tried to find the words to refute the truth Sria had so blatantly stated. Finally, she looked down at her hands, and asked in a hesitant voice, "Did you know him well? Zan, I mean."

"No, not well. I was at your wedding, of course. Maid of Honor. And I visited you quite often after you married him. But…" She let the sentence drift off, trying to think how exactly to best phrase her thoughts. Finally, she said softly, "You were in love. So in love… You would never hear a word against him. And he and I didn't really get along."

"Why not?" Tess asked, surprised, her eyes snapping up to Sria's face. Sria was the first person here she had heard say anything that sounded even remotely like discontent with Zan.

"Difference of opinion, I guess," Sria replied, shrugging. She looked back out the winodw as memories of the past filled her mind with sorrow for what could have been. "It's not really important. We just weren't the best of friends, but because we both cared about you, we tried our best to be civil to each other." She smiled, a bittersweet smile, as she remembered those distant days. "I'll give him this, Ava. He loved you more than life itself."

"Well, he doesn't anymore," Tess snapped, her pale face flushed with anger at the wound Sria has inadverdantly opened.

Sria ignored the irate hybrid, caught in her own memories. "I remember you telling me once that he had told you he felt as though he had been waiting his whole life for you." She ran a hand through her hair, pushing a few red strands behind her ear. She could clearly picture the first Ava's face, the way she had sparkled with enthusiam as she told Sria those words. Zan had said them as he proposed on the banks of the Landra River. It had been early autumn, and the leaves of the trees had turned to gold and crimson. Autumn on Earth was beautiful, but autumn on Antar... it was beyond words. The leaves were so brilliant with their color, and they glowed with such intense light...

Ava and Zan had been dating for three years, and Sria had never seen her best friend so happy. The news of the engagment had spread far and wide, and everyone on Antar had been thrilled. Ava was well loved by the people, and Zan was worshipped as their hero and King. And the two were meant to be together... All Ava could do was talk about the plans for the rest of her life, and how wonderful everything was going to be for them...

If only Sria had known then what she knew now.

"I waited my whole life for him, and look where it got me," Tess hissed, her eyes burning with anger.

"You were always the better half of him," Sria continued, a smug smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "At least, that's what I thought." She laughed slightly, her skin crinkling at the corners of her eyes. "He would fly into rages all the time, but you could talk him out of it. Well, usually. Sometimes he would be totally beyond reason." Then she frowned, as though suddenly realizing that Tess was still in the room, and slanted a look at petite blonde, saying pointedly, "Of course, you weren't all that perfect yourself, either."

Tess raised an eyebrow questioningly at the comment.

Sria shrugged apologetically and said, "Sorry, Ava. Just thinking about the past."

"Well, why don't we get back to the present?" Tess suggested, and took a seat on the floor again. "You were explaining to me how to reach Isabel."

"You don't have to reach them, Ava," Sria replied patiently. "If you are right, Isabel is trying to reach you, then all you have to do is meet her half way."

Tess rolled her eyes. "She's on the other side of the universe, Sria. Half-way is still a really long way to go."

"Well, no one said this was going to be easy," Sria retorted, her patience wearing thin. "You just need to focus, and the rest will come."

Tess slanted a look at the other alien, her eyebrows raising into the air, and asked doubtfully, "And if it doesn't?"

To which Sria had no answer.

_**We're almost twenty-three and you're still mad at me  
So much that I said to you and I want to take it back now  
Twenty-three and it's so sad to me  
You tell the world I'm dead to you  
But I know you want me back now  
**_

"Okay, why don't we take another break?" Sria suggested, standing slowly and stretching her tight muscles. She and Tess had been sitting on the floor for three hours now, but with no success. And while she was loathe to give up the endeavor, she had to admit that they were getting nowhere. Tess did not have the ability to create telepathic links the way Tunia or Isabel could. How was she supposed to reach out across the universe? She had never done _anything_ like this before.

Tess nodded slowly and swallowed her frustration. She stood up, her sore muscles screaming at the effort. Although she had not managed to reach anyone on Earth, the attempt of trying to reach them had been draining enough, and her body was weary with mental and physical exhaustion.

"I still think you should have some clear idea of what you are going to tell Isabel," Sria said softly, her green eyes holding Tess' gaze for a beat.

Tess blinked, somewhat surprised as she noted that Sria had not stumbled over Isabel's name, trying to call her Vilandra first. It seemed the red-haired alien was finally separating Isabel and Vilandra in her mind.

Tess shrugged and walked over to the edge of her bed, sitting down on it. "I guess I just plan on warning her about Khivar. What else is there to say?"

"Do really not have questions?" Sria replied disbelievingly. "You don't want to know how they are doing? Are they safe from the skins and the…what is it called? FCI? FIB?"

"FBI," Tess corrected automatically.

"What about your human family…Kyle and Jim, right? Don't you want to know about them?" Sria pressed. She walked over to Tess and sat down next to her, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "Don't you have questions?"

"Besides how could you do this to me?" Tess asked, giving an abrupt, ironic laugh. The sound died away on her lips and she shook her head slowly. "No, I really don't."

"Why not?" Sria asked calmly.

"Because they betrayed me!" Tess exploded, jumping to her feet, then quickly lowering her voice and casting an apprehensive look at her sleeping son. But Alex had no woken up, and Tess breathed a sigh of relief before continuing in a lower tone, "They were supposed to stand beside me no matter what."

"And they are probably feeling very guilty for that," Sria pointed out. She stood up and placed a hand on Tess' shoulder, gently pushing the hybrid back into a sitting position. "They are sorry for what they've done, the memories you saw when you gave birth to Alex prove that." Her words were logical, but she knew that Tess was not thinking with logic. The other hybrids had done too much to her for her to be able to think about them rationally.

"They don't deserve my forgiveness," Tess snapped, although she remained sitting, her arms folded defiantly over her chest. "They should have never believed that of me in the first place."

"Because they were your family," Sria finished the thought as she began to pace the room, her feet making a gentle pounding sound on the carpeted floor. "They should have known."

"Yes."

"And no matter what happens, family is always family."

Tess frowned at Sria, sensing a double meaning behind the alien's words, but unable to understand what it was. "Ye-es," she answered slowly, unable to shake the feeling that she was walking right into a trap.

"And there is nothing that changes that," Sria added. "The bond of family can't be broken. They should have given you the benefit of the doubt, they should have let you explain before accusing you of murder and betrayal."

Tess nodded wordlessly.

"Because even if you had wronged them, you were still their family," Sria questioned, her eyebrows raising slightly. Her back was turned to Tess, but she did not need to be facing the other alien to know that her Tess had looked up sharply at the words.

Because, quite suddenly, Tess understood the double meaning, understood the trap, and found it was far too late to back out of it now.

Sria turned and slanted a look at Tess, a thin smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "And despite your claim that family is always family and _nothing_ changes that, you really want me to believe that you harbor _no_ good feelings for the other hybrids? That you don't care, _at all_?"

_**Was it fun for you to watch him fall apart? (Watch me fall)  
And suffocate him while you held him in your arms (in your arms)  
I swear to God I wish he never let you in (let you in)  
And I just hope we never hear from you again  
**_

"Would destroying their lives make you feel better?" Sria asked abruptly, breaking the tense silence that had fallen over the two. They had spent the next two hours after their argument practicing reaching out into the void, and still Tess was unsure of what to do or how to do it. Beads of sweat lined her forehead, her eyes were shadowed with exhaustion.

Tess opened her eyes and looked up at Sria. "You really aren't going to let this go, are you?" she asked quietly.

Sria laughed. "Khai's not the only one who gets to teach you about being a Queen." She smiled softly at Tess, her eyes filled with warmth and understanding. She knew this was difficult for the hybrid, but it was necessary. They had to have the conversation now, because Tess had to come to a decision about the other three. She had to know exactly what her feelings were and she had to be abl eto defend them, because the rest of her life would revolve around the choices she made today.She was facing her past, and she had to come out of it stronger and more determined, not vindictive and broken.

"You already yelled at me for being immature over the whole Tunia's death thing. What's the lesson this time?" Tess asked, somewhat sarcastic.

"You answer my question, I'll answer yours," Sria replied stoically, refusing to back down.

Tess closed her eyes for and thought, _really_ thought, about the question. She hated them. Hated them for what they had done to her, for the life they had condemned her to. But she was here, and even if she tormented them when she visited Isabel, she would still be here. So would ruining their lives make her feel better?

Instant gratification, she'd feel better as she said the words, as she saw the hurt on Isabel's face.

But in the long run…?

No.

No, it really wouldn't.

She opened her eyes and looked up at Sria, tilting her head to the side. "Let me guess," she commented dryly, "this lesson is that vengeance doesn't pay?"

"Oh no," Sria replied, grinning. "Vengeance does pay." She smiled even more at the incredulous look on Tess' face and elaborated, "But you just have to redefine your idea of vengeance." She walked over to the bed and sat down on it, gesturing for Tess to do the same. The hybrid paused for a moment, then walked over to her son first. She lifted him from the crib and rocked him back and forth. Her days were filled with war and confusion, pain and loss, struggles and trials, and she had little time to spend with her son. Every moment with him was precious.

Then she walked over to Sria and sat down.

"Vengeance is different from revenge," Sria continued. "Revenge, Ava, is more along the ideas of an eye for an eye."

"Which leaves the whole world blind," Tess murmured. At Sria's confused look, she explained, "It's a platitude from Earth. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. Revenge doesn't get you anywhere, and often causes more harm."

"Interesting," Sria mused, nodding as she let the words play through her mind. "Yes, I like that saying. It is very appropriate."

"What exactly is the difference between revenge and vengeance?" Tess asked, directing them back to the previous topic.

"Revenge is done in the heat of the moment with little thought for future consequences, and therefore causes harm. And in the end, it does not make you feel better," Sria murmured.

"And vengeance?"

"Vengeance," Sria continued, "Is figuring out what _will_ make you feel better."

Tess was quite for a moment, staring down at her son. He had woken up, and was regarding her through quietly serious eyes. Although he was still only a few days old, he was growing quickly, and his facial expression were much more defined that a human child's. She could clearly see the confusion in his eyes as he tried to understand what had upset his Mommy so much today.

Slowly, an answer came to mind, and Tess began to realize what would make her feel better. Success. Becoming Queen, defeating Khivar. Not for the people of Antar, not for Sria or Larek, not for the Resistance, not for her son. For herself. Proving to everyone that they were wrong about her. Proving to Khai that she was strong enough. Proving to Max, Isabel, and Michael that she could do this without them. Proving to Khivar that she was a force to be feared.

That was her vengeance. That had always been what she wanted. That was what she would get.

She met Sria's gaze and smiled. "I know," she said, and Sria returned the smile.

"Yes, you do. You already knew the answer, you always have. You just had to work it out for yourself. And _that_ is today's lesson about being Queen."

_**We're almost twenty-three and you're still mad at me  
So much that I said to you and I want to take it back now  
Twenty-three and it's so sad to me  
you tell the world I'm dead to you  
But I know you want me back  
**_

"Tell me about telepathic links," Tess ordered quietly.

"What do you want to know?" Sria asked, leaning against the wall of the room and watching the mid-afternoon sun beat down on the world below. The air outside sweltered in the heat, and she was incredibly glad they were spending the day inside. It had been an hour since their last conversation, and Sria had disappeared to check in with Larek, leaving Tess to practice on her own. The blonde hybrid had made some progress, but not much.

Not enough.

"How are they formed? How do they work? What are they like? When Tunia linked to someone in the Resistance before her death, what was that exactly?" Tess elaborated. She had no idea what she was doing, and she desperately needed information. Perhaps it would help her reach Isabel.

Sria raised a single eyebrow at the bombardment of questions, but answered promptly, "Some people have the inherent ability to connect to the mind of another person. Unlike possessing someone, it does not require that you use more of your brain than they do. If you have that trait, you can connect with anyone. There are many different types of connections. Isabel, and Vilandra for that matter, can dream-walk, which allows her into people's dreams. Tunia could create links through which the other person can hear, see, taste, smell, and feel everything that she does. Arya can send mental words and images, but not feelings. And obviously your son has some form of this power as he used it to reach out to his father."

Tess nodded dumbly. "But I don't have any of those gifts," she pointed out. "What am I doing, and how is it done?"

Sria rubbed her eyes and thought about the question. "That is a bit more difficult to explain. While you don't have the ability to telepathically connect, you do have the ability to mind-warp, so your mind is more adaptable to this sort of action." The redhead paused for a moment, casting a sideways glance at Tess. "What you are doing is playing on the bond you have with Vi… with Isabel."

"Bond?" Tess questioned, two eyebrows shooting into the air.

"A bond exists between two people. It can take many shapes or forms. Love, mutual hate, strong friendship. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the bond. Of course, with any type of family, the bond is even stronger, especially when they share the same blood. The strongest bond is formed between mother and child…" Sria's sentence drifted off as her eyes widened in realization.

She got up and started pacing, her mind whirling. Tess watched her for a moment, not wanting to interrupt whatever brainwave her friend had just had, but as the moments stretched to minutes and still Sria said nothing, the blonde hybrid started to get frustrated.

"Are you going to fill me in, Sria?" she asked sarcastically. "Or should I start guessing?"

"The main reason that Isabel could not contact you was…well, there were two reasons. The first being that she had never tried to contact anyone on the other side of the universe before, and it was a little out of her league. The second was that you were subconsciously keeping her out. Those two combined…" Sria was mumbling, more to herself than to Tess, and she let the sentence drift off as she thought over the idea that had occured to her.

"I'm lost," Tess said after Sria had lapsed into silence.

"Did you ever wonder why Isabel needs a picture to be able to dream-walk?"

The question took Tess by surprise, and she had no good answer for it. Instead, she shook her head and replied, "Not really."

Sria nodded. "She used the picture to channel her energy. So that her link knows where to go. When she is just dream-walking someone on Earth, a picture is sufficient. But when she tries to contact you, she has an entire universe to search. She needs more than a picture."

Tess mulled over the words for a moment, then said, "She was using Max and Michael's energy as well. All three of them combined…"

"All the energy in the world won't help her if she can't find your essence to start with." Sria was smiling now, her eyes shinning with anticipation. "The fact that you are so far away, combined with you not really wanting to talk to her… you were subconsciously barring her from your mind, and that is why she couldn't find you. But if you took down the barriers…"

"I don't get it," Tess objected. "Even without the barriers, I'm on the other side of the universe. Like you said, she can't find me."

Sria nodded encouragingly. "Exactly," she replied enigmatically.

"Okay, I'm still really lost, only now, I'm getting annoyed as well," Tess snapped.

Sria laughed, and Tess grinned slightly as well. "Sorry," Sria apologized. She walked back over to the bed and sat down. "Originally, we were assuming that you would have to initiate the bond. Once you found Isabel, she could do the actual linking, but you still have to find her. And while, due to your mind-warping ability, you have the mental strength to make that possible, it is incredibly difficult."

"Now you think I don't have to find her?"

"No. You have to lead her to you," Sria replied.

"How?"

"Through your bond. A bond is strongest when it is formed through blood."

"But Isabel and I aren't blood related."

"No," Sria agreed. She turned and faced Tess fully. "But Alex…"

Realization dawned, and Tess frowned, unsure what she thought of the plan. "You want me to use my son to connect with someone on the other side of the universe? That isn't dangerous?"

"He's done it before," Sria pointed out. "He took you into his father's memories. He can take you into Isabel's as well, because he is blood related to Isabel, and he is blood related to you. And since he obviously has some form of mind-linking ability anyway..." She sighed and Tess' still hesitant look and said, "I'm not saying it would be easy. But it won't be dangerous. Trust me, I would never put your son's life in danger."

Slightly mollified, but still worried, Tess nodded and said, "Alright. What do I do?"

_**  
Wasted on you (wasted on you)  
Wasted on you (so much time I've)  
Wasted on you (wasted on you)  
Wasted on you  
On you  
On you**_

Tess held her son tightly in her arms and let her conscious link with his. She could feel the bond between the two, strong and pulsing with energy. She focused on the bond, strengthening the gentle link. "Come on, baby," she whispered, closing her eyes. "Don't let Mommy down."

Through her son, she let her conscious reach out across the void, seeking Isabel's mind. This time, however, it was easy. In the past, each time she had tried to reach out, she had hit walls, mental barriers, great expanses of emptiness. This time…this time the obstacles were gone, and she was swimming through a haze of murky darkness, soothing and disconcerting at the same time. After a moment of concentration, she felt a flicker of something familiar. Fighting towards it, she was bombarded with a mass of swirling emotions and images. For a moment, she struggled, lost in the maelstrom of thoughts and feelings, and then, quite suddenly, she found herself standing in the middle of an expanse of darkness that reached on forever all around her.

"Wh-what?"

Tess turned at the sound of the other voice, and saw Isabel standing behind her. The statuesque alien had her back to Tess, so she had not yet realized the other's presence. She was staring off into the darkness in surprise and wonder, unsure of how she had ended up here. "What happened?" she murmured to herself. "Where am I?"

"This is your dream-walk, Isabel," Tess said coldly, her voice brittle. "You tell me."

Isabel spun around and gaped at Tess, her eyes widening and her jaw dropping in surprise.

Tess met Isabel's eyes, and swallowed back the rage and fury that flared inside her. The other alien looked so…lost. So guilt-ridden, so confused, so haunted…

"Te-Tess?"

"In the flesh," Tess replied. She had known that facing Isabel would not be easy, that it would bring back unwanted memories and undesired emotions, that it would dig up all of the anger and loathing that she had tried to bury, tried to forget… No, she was not naïve. She knew this be difficult.

She just hadn't realized _how_ difficult.

"How did you…how are you…did you…is everything…what happened?" Isabel stammered over her words. Since she had heard the shape-shifter's story, all she had wanted was to find Tess and apologize. But now that the petite blonde was standing in front of her, she had no idea what to say.

"What happened?" Tess mimicked. "What do you _think_ happened?"

"We know about…about the shape-shifter…" Isabel muttered, looking down as her face flushed with guilt and shame.

"I know," Tess said simply. Off Isabel's surprised look, Tess elaborated, "When my son connected to Max, I saw some visions from Max's mind… I saw you finding out about her."

"Where are you? Does Khivar have you?" Isabel said. "Or are you somewhere safe?"

"I'm…" Tess hesitated, searching for the right words. Finally, she said, "I'm still alive. For now, at any rate."

"Where?" Isabel pressed.

Tess stared at her for a moment, her eyes boring into Isabel's, but she said nothing.

"Tess…"

"The hell am I going to tell you anything!" Tess hissed between clenched teeth. Her blue eyes sparkled with malicious anger as all her inner demons came pouring out. "You really think I am going to provide you with _answers_?" She wanted them to suffer. Who cared if an eye-for-an-eye left the whole world blind? Who cared what Sria had said? Who cared if this would not make her happy in the long run?

It was making her happy now.

"Tess, we are…" Isabel began, but Tess cut her off.

"Khivar is after you."

The four simple words were left hanging in the air as Isabel lapsed into a shocked silence. Tess was quiet as well, struggling to get her anger under control as she stared up into the striking face of the statuesque hybrid Princess. The silence stretched, long and awkward, as each alien tried to get their troubled thoughts into some form of coherent pattern.

Because Tess did care. Sria was right, she had been right all along, and Tess knew that she had a job to do. It was not to throw insults at Isabel, not to make her suffer, not to laugh as the other hybrid girl was filled with pain and sorrow. Her job was to come and warn Isabel. Nothing else mattered right now. Nothing else at all.

Not even her torn out, broken, ripped apart, spat on, trampled, and bleeding heart.

Finally, Isabel managed, "Wh-what? What do you mean?"

Tess rolled her eyes. "What did it sound like I meant?" She lifted one hand and held it out, saying, "Khivar." Then she lifted her other hand, adding, "You." She slapped the two hands together and elaborated, "Khivar. Is. After. You." Her words were slow, mocking, as though she was talking to a very slow child, because, although she knew she should just finish the job and go, she could not keep herself from vindictively enjoying the few moments she had to torment Isabel.

"How? Why? How do you know this?" Isabel stuttered.

Tess crossed her arms over her chest and began to pace back and forth through the void of nothingness. "I don't know how he plans on getting you, but my…_contacts_…tell me that he will succeed. As for why he wants you, he wants Vilandra. He wants Vilandra to be able to rule legitimately with her at his side."

"How do you know all this?" Isabel asked, her initial fear fading somewhat, to be replaced by curiosity. "Where are you?"

Tess was quiet for a moment, wondering if she should answer the question. At last, she said softly, "That isn't important. What is it important is that you need to be prepared for Khivar when he comes."

"Where are you?" Isabel repeated. "Are you with Khivar? Does he have you? Are you hurt, in danger?"

"I told you, Isabel, that I'm still alive. My son and I are alive, and that is all I am going to tell you right now," Tess answered, willing her anger to stay under control.

"You're son? He's okay?" Isabel asked. "Max had a vision that he was in danger and we thought…"

"He's fine," Tess snapped. "_We're_ fine."

There was a silence, long and unbearable, but neither Tess nor Isabel seemed able to break it. Finally, after listening to the stillness around her, Isabel said, "How do we stop Khivar?"

Tess licked her dry lips and replied honestly, "I have no idea." She turned away from Isabel and collected her thoughts, her heart beating wildly and erratically. At last, she continued, "Warn Michael and Max. They are the key."

"How?" Isabel questioned, moving so that she was standing in front of Tess again.

Tess shrugged. "I don't know exactly. We believe Khivar's presence should be enough to awaken the Vilandra in you. Likewise, Max, Michael, Maria, Liz, Kyle, and Jim should be enough to turn you back to Isabel." She stumbled over the other's names, having trouble forcing them out of her lips. They sounded strange on her tongue, almost foreign, like the half-familiar, half-forgotten names of people she could not quite place.

Again, there was a silence, then Isabel said, "We miss you."

It was all Tess could do to keep from screaming at the other girl.

Strangely, it was not the words that unsettled her. It was not the fact that Isabel actually had the nerve to say them. It was not the realization that things could have been different. It was not the irony of her situation, that she was only appreciated after she was gone.

It was that Isabel was telling the truth.

They did miss her.

And hearing that truth, Tess could no longer deny that she missed them as well.

And _that_ was what disturbed her.

"Do you really?" Tess spat, anger rising to cover the raw pain and longing she felt at the words. "You _miss_ me? Where the hell was that sentiment when you were all too anxious to throw me to the wolves, _Izzy_? Where was your friendship then?"

Isabel flinched at the sarcastic emphasis Tess placed on her nickname and shot back with anger, "You _admitted_ to killing Alex!"

"Would you have believed me if I denied it?" Tess asked mildly, her eyes dark with anger, her expression twisted into a scowl.

"If you had given us time to think about it…"

"Time?" Tess questioned mockingly. "We didn't have time, Isabel! The Granolith was going to leave in two minutes and my son would have died if I had stayed on Earth. I did what I had to in order to get off the planet; I did what was needed to keep my son alive." She lapsed into silence for a moment, finding to her own discomfort that she felt almost no satisfaction at the horrified and guilty look on Isabel's face. Then she said in a softer tone, "You shouldn't have needed time, anyway. You should have _known_ I would never do that."

"Tess…"

But Tess was not through with her rant, and everything she had wanted to say for the last week suddenly came pouring out. "I searched for you three for ten years, Isabel! I waited my entire life to find you, and then, when I think I actually have a chance at being happy, at being a member of a real family, you all turn on me!"

"You scared us off with all your talk of destiny," Isabel protested, her voice shaking a little as she spoke.

"I showed you who you were, where you were from. I provided you with the answers to all those questions you had been asking yourselves! I helped you rescue Max from the white room and defeat the FBI Special Unit. I went with Max to New York and fought of Lonnie and Rath. I helped you with the parasites. I sent a fireball into all those skins that were going to kill us! And what did I get for all my trouble? Nothing!"

"Tess…" Again, Isabel tried to cut into the rant, but again, Tess would not let her.

"I may have hurt you all with talk of destiny, I may have caused Liz grief by going after Max, I might not have been everyone's best friend, but tell me, Isabel, what did I _ever _do that would make you doubt my allegiance?" the fuming hybrid snarled, her pale face flushed with a deep crimson of rage, her blue eyes sparkling with an anger that sent shivers down Isabel's spine.

"I'm sorry," Isabel whispered, tears sliding down her face. "Tess, I'm so sorry…"

Tess held Isabel's gaze for a beat, her blue eyes unreadable in the dim light. Then she replied honestly, "Me too," and broke the bond, disappearing and leaving the hybrid Princess standing alone in the great expanse of emptiness with nothing but more questions, and no answers.

_**  
Twenty-three and you're still mad at me  
So much that I said to you and I want to take it back now  
Twenty-three and it's so sad to me  
You tell the world I'm dead to you  
But I know you want me back now**_

Tess opened her eyes slowly and looked around the room. Alex was lying perfectly still in her arms, while Sria was perched on the edge of a chair, watching and waiting. At some point while she had been in contact with Isabel, Khai, Kani, and Larek had entered the room, and the three of them were standing around the walls, silently staring at her.

"It's done," Tess breathed, standing. The world spun around her as she realized she did not have the energy to stand on her own, but in a flash Larek was there, supporting her and placing a protective hand under the arm that held her son. She smiled gratefully at him and gently placed her son in his arms, knowing she did not have the strength to hold him on her own.

Larek, who had never held Alex, or any newborn, before, stared down at the bundle in his arms, unable to think of anything else except the beautiful blue eyes staring at him. Something tugged at his heart strings as he realized this is what he could have had with Kani, if Lotho… He pushed the thought away. Kani loved Lotho more than life itself, Kani was happy with Lotho, and now Lotho was dead. It was not the time to dwell on old grievances or lost loves.

"You warned Vilandra?" Khai asked quickly, seeing the contemplative look on Larek's face and knowing what the alien king was thinking. He shot a look at Kani, and he could tell by the expression on her face, she knew what Larek had been thinking about as well.

Tess, oblivious to the millions of emotions flying in between the other aliens in the room, sank onto her bed and nodded, managing to croak out, "Yeah, I warned her."

"Well, it is up to her and the others to stop Khivar now," Kani murmured.

Larek nodded in agreement and placed Alex in his crib. "Sria, stay with Ava to make sure the effort was not too draining for her. Khai, Kani, and I need to meet with some more Resistance members."

"What's going on?" Tess asked, rolling to her side and looking over at Larek.

Larek hesitated, clearly unsure as to whether or not he wanted to tell her. She had a right to know, but at the same time, she needed to rest after such an ordeal. Finally, settling for a compromise, he said, "Sria will tell you." Then he, Kani, and Khai left the room.

Tess shifted her gaze to Sria, but Sria was looking over at Alex. "It's a pity none of us ever had a chance to have children," she murmured.

Tess blinked at the comment and frowned. It had never really occurred to her, but now she had to wonder why she knew nothing about the families of her allies. "Why don't you?" she asked, shifting to face Sria.

Sria sighed and shrugged. "Larek never married, although he is still relatively young given the average lifespan of his species, so there could be a family in the future for him. Kani and Lotho didn't have children because they didn't have the time. Arya has a full grown son who works in the Resistance, but her husband was killed years ago. Audin is married, but his wife is back on Byor. It is hard for diplomats to have children because they are never around."

"And Khai?"

"Khai was married once, several years ago, to a Antarian woman named Myra. It was shortly after you and Zan were married that he met and fell in love with his wife." Sria closed her eyes. "We were at that wedding also. She was a beauty, and he was in love, and they were happy…" She opened her eyes and turned to Tess, her voice becoming hard. "Khivar killed Myra only a few months after they married. It was his first attack on the capital city, the first battle in a very long and merciless campaign. Myra was pregnant at the time, so it was a great blow to Khai. And then, to find out that it was Vilandra who let Khivar into the city that night…"

Tess stared at Sria in horror.

After a moment of silence Sria shrugged and turned away. Finally, Tess said, "What happened today? What are the others meeting about?"

Sria closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling it sharply as she thought about the disturbing news they had received. "Yesterday Zyith took an cohort of Resistance members and secretly entered a city that we believed Khivar was going to attack in the next week or two. When he got there, Khivar's army was already waiting for him. They attacked as soon as he entered. He was killed, along with the rest of the city and most of the Resistance members that had gone with him. Only a few got away."

Tess frowned and nodded. Although she had not met Zyith for more than a few minutes, and although he had not been particularly pleasant to her, he was still a Antarian, still a member of her planet, and his death was still a blow. She bowed her head at Sria's words.

"The few who escaped said it was as though Khivar knew they were coming, knew how many would be there, knew how they would enter the city, and what sort of resources they would have. He killed them all with frightening efficiency as though he had been waiting for them all along," Sria continued, her voice dry and scratchy like sheets of sandpaper rubbing against each other. She swallowed and pushed back the fear that rose in her chest and walked over to the window and stared out of it, her eyes dry and old. The moon was just rising now, the faint light struggling to reach the planet below. "It was one of the things were wondered about when Tunia was caught," she murmured. "That she could be captured within just a couple days of being sent into the capital… She was better than that. How could Khivar have known?"

Tess realized with dawning dismay what it was Sria was saying, and twisted into a sitting position on her bed. "You think there is a traitor in the Resistance?"

Sria turned, her face grave and serious, and met Tess' questioning gaze. For a moment she was silent, her eyes shuttered, her skin pale, her expression drawn. When she answered, her voice was quiet, almost inaudible, but the meaning of the single word was terrifying all the same.

"Yes."

* * *

Next Chapter: That Which Does Not Kill You 

Due: Thursday 12/15


	11. That Which Does Not Kill You

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's Note: So, this is the last of my slower, non-action-filled chapters. Everything after it will be filled with a lot of action, so if that is what you like reading about, after this chapter, you'll be in luck. This also ends any discussions on alien society. They were necessary at the beginning, but I think I've pretty much given all the information necessary for the rest of the series. Also, I introduce more Resistance members in this chapter, so it might be a good idea to review the list below, just so you know who everyone is.

As always, read and review.

* * *

Okay, just a reminder of who the major players are: 

Tess and Larek, of course

Alex-Tess's son, named after Alex Whitman

Audin-diplomat to Larek from the planet Byor

Arya-the regional ruler from the province of Tel'ai, which is the capital province on Antar. She was recently deposed by Khivar

Khai-main general and leader of the Resistance, Rath's younger brother

Sria- the original Ava's best friend, one of Larek's advisors, and a native of the planet L'so

Lotho-general of Larek's army (like Rath was for Zan), married to Kani, killed by Khivar's army.

Kani-married to Lotho, she is one of Larek's closest friends and advisors

Tunia-a Resistance spy killed by Khivar, most likely set up by a traitor

Resistance members with smaller roles: Radim, Trell, Zyith (Zyith killed by Khivar's army)

Resistance members introduced in this chapter: Shalimar, Sirch, Nasada

Places of importance:

Tel'ai-capital province of Antar, has Dimaras Rock, where Zan met Ava. The Triaji Desert, the Cortai Jungle, the Landra River, and the Fel Mountains are all located in this province as well.

Antar-the capital city of Antar has the same name as the planet.

Sab and Drasu-cities in Tel'ai that Khivar attacked and decimated, no adults were left alive in either.

Mt. Sinai-a mountain in Tel'ai, it's name means (in Antarian) 'mountain of fate'

Daila: The capital city of Larek's planet.

Lexan: A city on Larek's planet.

* * *

crucible; an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

Chapter Eleven: That Which Does Not Kill You

_Day 10_

Tess awoke in the early hours of the morning to feel someone shaking her violently, hissing, "Get up!" She rolled over and peered through the dim light, finally making out the tan skin and dark yellow eyes of Radim. She groaned and pushed herself into a sitting position, frowning at Radim in confusion. She had not seen him for several days, not since the news of the original attack on Sab, and she was slightly disconcerted by his presence in her bedroom.

"What's going on?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and pushing the covers off of her body. She planted her feet on the floor and stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles of her nightgown and staring at Radim in concern.

"There was an attack on Lexan," Radim replied. When Tess stared at him, clearly having no idea what Lexan was, Radim continued impatiently, "Lexan is a city on this planet. It is an important trade city, and the attack is a severe blow to the economy. Khivar has started his attacks against Larek."

Tess pulled a bathrobe on, tying it securely around her waist, and followed Radim silently from the room. They hurried down a labyrinth of interconnecting passage ways, through halls that Tess had never been in, and finally ended up outside of a room Tess had never seen.

She followed Radim through the door into the room, and quickly looked around, taking stock of everyone who was there. She instantly recognized Larek, Khai, Sria, Audin, Kani, and Trell. There were three others in the room that Tess did not recognize. Radim took a seat next to one of the strangers, while Tess walked over to the vacant chair next to Larek and slipped into it.

"Ava, this is Shalimar," Larek said quickly, gesturing to a woman with black wavy hair, black eyes, and dark skin. "And Nasada," Larek continued, nodding to a woman sitting to the right of Shalimar. Nasada inclined her head to Tess, her light brown tresses falling in front of her almond-shaped, violet eyes. "Sirch," Larek pointed to a nondescript man of average height, with mousy brown hair and brown eyes. "They are all members of the Resistance who are based here on my planet. They do mostly technological and surveillance work, providing new equipment and data for our cause."

Tess nodded her head to all of them, then turned wide eyes to Larek. No point beating around the bush. "Lexan was attacked?"

"Yes," Sirch answered, his voice scratchy and deep. "I've spoken to my contacts and they say much of the city was destroyed. They were unprepared for such an attack."

"Where is Khivar's army now?" Sria asked quietly.

"They've moved south from Lexan. They are currently camped in the open plains between Lexan and Daila," Shalimar replied quickly. She spread a map out across the table and leaned over it, studied the interconnecting paths and cities. "Here," she said at last, placing her finger on a spot. It was in the middle of a large open plain. "They've camped here. Our insider intel leads us to believe that they are headed for Daila."

"They wouldn't dare," Larek growled, staring at the map.

"What's Daila?" Tess asked quietly.

A silence fell over the room at those words, and all eyes turned to stare at her incredulously. Khai's gaze was tinged with mocking, Shalimar and Sirch both seemed a little put off by the question, and Sria had turned an accusatory glare to Larek.

"You didn't tell her?" the fiery redhead demanded, crossing her arms and glaring at Larek. "She shows up at your doorstep, clearly not knowing much about where she was or what was going on, and you don't tell her?" Larek opened his mouth to say something, but Sria waved her hand dismissively at him and turned to Tess. "Daila is the capital city, Ava. It's where we are right now."

"Khivar is coming here?" Tess asked aghast.

Sirch snorted. "He wouldn't, not if he knows what is good for him."

"The Council of the Worlds declared his case against Larek legitimate," Radim pointed out tiredly. All eyes turned to him, and he said, "The news was given out last night. The Council is on his side."

Larek groaned at the news and wiped a hand over his face wearily. Shalimar and Kani exchanged darkly significant glances, and Sria shook her head in disapproval.

"That isn't much of a surprise," Sirch pointed out. "We always knew where the Council stood. They support Khivar." His eyes darkened with disgust and he said, "Khivar probably _bought_ their support."

"We need a plan," Nasada said quietly, speaking up for the first time. Her voice was soft and lilting. "I spoke to Arya a few hours ago. She reached Antar safely and is in hiding, but she says the situation does not look good. Since Zyith was killed, Khivar's troops have made moves on two other cities."

"But it has only been a matter of hours!" Audin protested, surprised. "Why is he moving so quickly?"

"Maybe he thinks he can bring Vilandra here faster?" Sria suggested.

"Our information says otherwise," Sirch replied. He turned to Larek, his voice serious. "We believe it will take him two or three months to reach Vilandra. But he is currently testing new technology…"

"Technology the Resistance would attack the capital city for?" Khai cut in. "He must know that we would never do that, regardless of how desperate we are. It's suicide."

"This technology would allow him to instantly travel anywhere in the universe," Nasada said glumly. "And when he traveled, it wouldn't be like possession. He could take the body of anyone, regardless of their brain capacity. He could take one of us."

"Think about how much damage he could do with that," Sirch added.

"Indeed," Shalimar elaborated, "He could be possessing one us right now, stealing all of our secrets, and we would have no way of knowing. Or worse, he could travel to even the most distant planet. There would be nowhere in the universe we could go where we would be safe from him."

"He believes, and rightly so, that we would be desperate enough to go on a suicide mission if it meant stopping him from succeeding in his endeavor," Nasada finished.

"Is that how he is planning to get to Earth, to get Isabel…Vilandra?" Tess asked. "Through this technology?"

"That is what we believe, my Lady," Nasada replied.

Tess blinked. It had been a long time since anyone had called her 'my Lady.' Not since that very first Council Meeting, before they had all decided she wasn't ready to be Queen… The respect and reverence from Nasada was strange and perplexing.

A dismal silence met Nasada's words as everyone thought silently about the implications of her statement. How much longer did they have?

"What about the spy?" Trell asked, breaking the tense silence. "We haven't even began to discuss what we are going to do about whoever this person is. And as they were able to get Zyith, Tunia, and many other members of the Resistance killed, this person is clearly a threat."

Nobody had an answer to that.

"Byor wants to retract diplomatic relations," Audin said suddenly, abruptly.

Larek turned to Audin in dismay, and Radim cut in, explaining bleakly, "Since the Council of the Worlds has officially declared that it does not support you, it really is no surprise that all the planets who have delegations in the Council would follow suit."

Audin agreed, "I spoke to a few of the officials on Byor last night, and they would like me to return."

There was another silence, short this time, then Khai turned to Ava and said, "You've been here ten days, Ava. Right?"

"Yes," Tess replied, feeling as though those ten days had been a lifetime.

Khai closed his eyes. "So, just to sum everything up…" He turned to Larek. "There has been an attack on Lexan, and it was serious enough that it has severely harmed the economy of your planet."

Larek nodded. "Without those trade routes…Lexan is the capital for several of my most prosperous businesses. I will need to put effort, resources, and time into rebuilding the city, or else Khivar could fatally ruin this planet."

"And we believe that Khivar is heading for Daila?" Khai continued, glancing over at Shalimar. "He is going to attack the capital, attack us?"

Shalimar nodded wordlessly, and several of the others in the room shifted nervously in their seats.

"And meanwhile, he is building a technology that could potentially be so devastating it would cripple us to the point of destroying our entire base of operations and wiping all of his opposition out of existence?"

The question was directed at Sirch, and he answered readily, "Yes, that is what we believe."

Khai nodded grimly and glanced at Nasada, "And he will use this to bring Vilandra back to Antar?" Nasada shrugged and nodded slightly. "We think there may be a traitor, a spy for Khivar, somewhere in the Resistance," Khai continued, this time facing Trell.

"And obviously someone who is good enough at what they do to avoid detection for a very long time," Trell added, his wrinkled face creasing even more deeply as he spoke.

"Meanwhile," Khai glanced at Radim, "the Council of the Worlds has declared itself officially opposed to Larek, and," he glanced over at Audin, "Byor is cutting diplomatic ties with Larek." Both Radim and Audin nodded, and Khai glanced over at Tess. "And if our original assumption was correct," he finished wearily, "we have four more days until the shape-shifter reaches Khivar and informs him that Ava is with us?"

A heavy silence fell over the ten occupants of the room as they realized with dawning horror the utter hopelessness of their situation.

* * *

Tess walked into her bedroom in the mid afternoon to see Sria sitting by the window, waiting for her. She forced a brief smile for her friend, grimacing as a wave of pain shot up her shoulders. Once again, she had left Alex with Sria while she went to …train… with Khivar. 

If you could even call it training.

More like falling repeatedly onto hard stone floor.

It wasn't so much the bruising sessions with Khai that worried her, however. It was the fact that he _wasn't_ trying to kill her. If this was how much it hurt to fight someone who wasn't actually striving for her death, how was she supposed to survive an actual fight against an actual enemy?

How was she supposed to face Khivar?

Sria, interpreting the contemplative and slightly disgruntled look on Tess' face correctly, said softly, "It will all come with time, Ava. Just keep practicing."

Tess sighed and sat down on her bed, rubbing her bruised shoulder gently. "Unfortunately, Sria, if I've learned anything from being here, it's that time is the one thing we _don't_ have."

Sria gave a dark chuckle and nodded. "No kidding," she murmured. She stood up and began to pace, a habit Tess had realized showed that she was nervous, that something had happened, that something had been decided.

And her next words confirmed the hybrid's fears.

"Radim took a contingent of Larek's soldiers and left for the plains today," Sria said. That particular course of action had been agreed upon during the early morning meeting, but everyone had still had some reservations about it. Engaging it full out war with Khivar might be inevitable, but they still would have preferred to delay it. To buy themselves enough time to better prepare for such an attack.

But, as Tess had so adeptly pointed out, time was not something they had.

"They hope to stop Khivar's army before they reach the capital," Sria continued, stating what Tess already knew. "They should be engaged in battle before night falls."

"What are there chances for survival?" Tess asked quietly.

Sria hesitated, then said bluntly, "It is a suicide mission. Everyone, even Radim, even the _soldiers_ going with Radim, know that. But it should buy us time to prepare."

Tess swallowed and nodded, wincing as the movement caused a explosion of pain to shoot down her neck. She walked over to the crib next to Sria and lifted Alex into her arms, then perched on the arm of the sofa and eyed her friend wearily.

"I wish Alex didn't have to be a part of this," she murmured, glancing down at her son. "Suicide missions and traitors… I wish he could just have a normal childhood, you know?"

Sria nodded appreciatively and said, "Any mother wishes that."

Tess shifted Alex's weight to one arm and used her spare hand to tuck a curl behind her ear. Yes, all mothers did wish that. Zan's mother had wanted that for her children. Resigned to the fact that Zan would be King, she had still clung to the hope that Vilandra could have a normal life, away from the intrigue and politics that defined palace life.

The blonde hybrid blinked suddenly, wondering, yet again, where the sudden information had come from. It had been happening a lot lately, these little pieces of the puzzle falling into place. There were still things she could not remember at all…like Sria…but some fragments of memories were slowly and steadily returning.

In a way, it was worse to have these half-memories. She could feel the other life inside her, feel Ava's essence in her blood, but there wasn't enough of it there for her to actually become the other person. She couldn't be Ava, but at the same time, with these bits of Ava's life inside her, she couldn't _not_ be Ava.

Second lives were complicated.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Sria asked, watching the pensive look in Tess' eyes.

Tess shook her head slowly. "Nothing much," she murmured. "I wish… I wish that I could send Alex to Jim. He would have made such a good grandfather, and it isn't fair of me to drag Alex into this without his consent."

"People are dragged into their lives without consent all the time," Sria answered. "Nobody is ever given a choice about what life they are born into." She stood and stretched, then joined Tess on the sofa. "Although I suppose it would be possible to send Alex to Earth if need be," she mused. "Only as a last resort if every other option for keeping him safe fails."

"Every other option?" Tess asked.

"Well, if you died, and Larek lost the war, and Khivar brought Vilandra back, and the Council of the Worlds declared her the rightful ruler, and the people of Antar rejected your son…" She left the sentence drift off, thinking wearily about all the things that could go wrong. "_Then_ we would send you son to Earth. Keep him safe."

"Only he can't survive there," Tess pointed out.

Sria raised an eyebrow at the comment. "What makes you say that?" she asked, confused.

"He almost died when I was still pregnant with him. The atmosphere was poisoning him," Tess explained, frowning at Sria. She assumed that the redheaded alien knew all this already. "That's why I had to leave."

Sria shook her head, her eyebrows knit together in concentration. "Antarian babies, while still in the womb, do not have fully developed respiratory systems, so it makes sense that he wouldn't be able to breath then. But now that he is fully developed…" She shrugged. "Chances are he could survive there now." She stopped suddenly and faced Tess, surprised as she realized what Tess had said. "I thought you were still mad at everyone on Earth? And now you want to send them your son?"

Tess shook her head. "It's never going to happen, Sria. I'm not giving up Alex also." She stood up and began to walk back and forth, rocking the child in her arms. "And I don't want to send Alex to Max and the others, I want to send him to Kyle and Jim. The only two people who actually ever cared about me." She let out a breath slowly and finished, "But there is no point dwelling on that, because it will never happen. Alex _will_ stay with me."

Sria noted the fiery determination in Tess' eyes and remarked dryly, "Never get between a mother bear and her cub."

* * *

"You need to learn the art of diplomacy," Khai said without any introduction. He and Tess were in one of the meeting rooms. He was pacing the white-carpeted floor, while Tess stared through a set of large windows out into a garden filled with dark blue-green shrubs and yellow flowers. 

"How am I going to learn?" Tess questioned, turning her attention back to the Antarian General. At least whatever she had to teach him could not possibly be as bruising as the sword-fighting lessons.

"I'll give you scenarios of situations you may find yourself in, and you will tell me what you would do," Khai replied. He took pulled out a chair and took a seat, staring intently at Tess. "You will need to understand the complexity of diplomatic relations, especially among those planets you have relations with, friendly or otherwise."

"And which planets are those?" Tess asked.

Khai frowned slightly. "Antar has relations with most of the planets in the Southern Beltway."

"What exactly is the Southern Beltway?" Although Tess had heard Larek use the term before, she had been unsure of what it was. A string of planets… She knew that much, but was it like a galaxy? Like the Milky Way?

"The galaxy Antar is in is a spiral galaxy. It is concentrated in the center, with long arms that spiral outwards from that center. The Southern Beltway is one of the arms and the planets within it are all within about a day's travel from each other, provided you are using an ordinary space craft."

"As opposed to Earth, which is about two weeks away?" Tess pressed. She nodded slowly, excepting Khai's words. "So, Byor, and Nathor, and L'so… these planets are all in the Southern Beltway?"

"Yes," Khai said shortly. "Now…" He began pacing again. "Dri is in the Southern Hemisphere of L'so, and has often declared that it does not support the Minister or any other regions, and has tried to overthrow the elected government several times. As a result, the Minister of L'so placed economic trade sanctions on the region. However, you rely on Dri for oil. You cannot risk angering the government of L'so, because it is supported by the Council of the Worlds, but if you cut off trade with Dri your economy will be severely debilitated. Meanwhile, Byor has declared support for the Minister of L'so, but Nathor has declared that it supports Dri because it, like you, is dependent on the oil. You have a diplomatic relationship with Byor, and if you antagonize them, they will withdraw the foreign aid that they gave you last year and demand that you make good on their loan with interest, which you cannot afford to do at this moment. You don't have any dealings with Nathor, but you also do not want to start bad relations. Also, several of your business have partners in the capital of L'so, which is a trade capital of the Beltway, and if you do not support the Minister, you risk alienating your businesses, who may decide to leave your planet and take all of their resources, assets, and investments with them, resulting in a crippling loss of jobs and a economic recession."

Khai turned and faced Tess as she stared up at him, her eyes filled with confusion. His face twisted into a grim smile as he asked, "What do you do?"

* * *

Next Chapter: Trial By Fire 

Due: Sunday 12/18


	12. Trial By Fire

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Thanks for the reviews. Again, you may want to review the list below.

* * *

Okay, just a reminder of who the major players are:

Tess and Larek, of course

Alex-Tess's son, named after Alex Whitman

Audin-diplomat to Larek from the planet Byor

Arya-the regional ruler from the province of Tel'ai, which is the capital province on Antar. She was recently deposed by Khivar

Khai-main general and leader of the Resistance, Rath's younger brother

Sria- the original Ava's best friend, one of Larek's advisors, and a native of the planet L'so

Lotho-general of Larek's army (like Rath was for Zan), married to Kani, killed by Khivar's army.

Kani-married to Lotho, she is one of Larek's closest friends and advisors

Tunia-a Resistance spy killed by Khivar, most likely set up by a traitor

Resistance members with smaller roles: Radim, Trell, Zyith (Zyith killed by Khivar's army)

Resistance members introduced in this chapter: Shalimar, Sirch, Nasada

Places of importance:

Tel'ai-capital province of Antar, has Dimaras Rock, where Zan met Ava. The Triaji Desert, the Cortai Jungle, the Landra River, and the Fel Mountains are all located in this province as well.

Antar-the capital city of Antar has the same name as the planet.

Sab and Drasu-cities in Tel'ai that Khivar attacked and decimated, no adults were left alive in either.

Mt. Sinai-a mountain in Tel'ai, it's name means (in Antarian) 'mountain of fate'

Daila: The capital city of Larek's planet.

Lexan: A city on Larek's planet.

* * *

crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

Chapter Twelve: Trial by Fire

_Day 11_

Tess closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled the scent of cinnamon in the air. She smiled softly, relishing in the simple pleasure of a quiet meal. Having spent the past week eating only in hurried moments while she was running from one meeting to the next, she had almost forgotten what it was like to actually sit down to eat.

"I take it the oatmeal pleases you?" Shalimar asked dryly, watching Tess with amusement.

Tess opened her eyes and stared at the other woman. "It pleases me very much," she replied honestly, taking a bite of the hot cereal. "What is in the flavoring?"

"Cinnamon, saffron, aela, and curtamin," Shalimar replied, taking a seat in front of the hybrid. Tess raised an eyebrow at her, and she said, "I know they don't have aela and curtamin on Earth. They are just another type of spice, native to Byor."

Tess swallowed the spoonful and took another bite. She ate it thoughtfully, tasting the spices on her tongue. She missed so many of the simple pleasures…eating while sitting down, walking out in the sun, sleeping without nightmares…

"What did you think of Zan?" Tess asked abruptly, pinning Shalimar with a appraising stare. She could not get the conversation she'd had with Sria two days ago out of her mind, and she wanted to know if anyone else disliked Zan.

Shalimar seemed surprised by the question. She paused, her eyes shuttering slightly as though expecting a trap. At last, she said in a slightly guarded tone, "He was the rightful king."

"I know that," Tess replied, waving her hand impatiently. "What else did you think of him?"

"He was like any king. He made some good decisions, and some bad decisions," Shalimar replied, her response still hesitant. She tilted her head to one side and said honestly, "He wanted what was best for Antar."

"But you disagreed with what was best," Tess said knowingly, nodding her head. "You thought he was trying to do too much, and do it too quickly. Change takes time." She stopped suddenly, and her mouth dropped open in surprise. She had absolutely no idea where that had come from.

Shalimar seemed surprised as well, although she hid it quickly. "Yes…" She drew out the word, thinking about Zan. "He made mistakes. But he truly wanted what was best for the people. I'll give him that much."

Tess nodded, accepting Shalimar's words. There was a silence while Tess ate some more of the oatmeal, then the petite blonde asked, "And Khivar?"

"What about him?" Shalimar questioned.

"Does he also want what is best for Antar?"

Shalimar spun to face Tess so quickly it startled even herself. "What?" she demanded harshly, incredulously.

"I was told that the idea that the king serves the people is so ingrained into the social mores of Antar that no one would dream of taking power for themselves. And that the people would never accept a ruler who did not work for them, for their interests," Tess explained patiently. "But Khivar has taken power, and the people of Antar did accept him. Well…most of them, anyway," Tess finished. She took a bite of her oatmeal, swallowed, and asked, "Why?"

Shalimar hesitated, then said, "Yes, he wants what is best for Antar. And he really tries to do what he thinks is best for the people."

"So why did he overthrow Zan?" Tess pressed, thinking about all the lives that had been lost and the cities that had been decimated during this war.

Shalimar bit her lip, then said hesitantly, "He is racist."

Whatever response Tess was expecting, it was not that. "What?"

"He thought that people of one race where superior than people of another. Zan did not agree with that, and Khivar blamed him for much of the economic recession that befell the planet shortly before Zan's fall. He said if Zan had realized that segregation was a better way to organize the society, the economy would have been doing do much better. Subjugate the needs of one group to the desires of another… He had a lot of support as well because people were scared, the recession had hurt them and they were afraid of losing livelihoods. After Khivar deposed Zan, he managed to turn around the economy, and people believed what he told them…that one race was superior…_He_ believed it himself." Shalimar sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, thinking. Finally, she continued, "Many of the Antarians who joined the Resistance are of the race that he considers inferior."

Tess pondered what Shalimar had told her, then asked, "What race did he support?"

Shalimar gave a bitter laugh and said, "The race of people that looked like him."

Tess suddenly heard Arya's voice echoing in her head, repeating the words she had said several days ago.

_It is only human arrogance that assumes democracy is the only way to rule a country_

Was it also only human arrogance that assumed that only humans could be racist?

* * *

"Ava? Are you with me?" Sria asked, frowning at her friend. 

Tess glanced up and rubbed her eyes. Sria had come to talk to her about the latest battle between Radim and Khivar…most of Radim's army had been wiped out. But Tess couldn't force herself to pay attention. She was too wrapped up in what Shalimar had told her earlier that day.

"Sorry, Sria. I've just got stuff on my mind. A lot of stuff on my mind." She stood up and stretched, then began to pace the floor of her room. "I just hate being cooped up in here," she admitted. "The only glimpse of the sky I've seen since I got here is from the balcony."

Sria nodded. "We've been busy," she agreed. She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Do you want to go outside? We could talk there. Walk in the gardens?"

"Aren't we keeping my presence a secret from everyone?" Tess asked, confused. "If I go outside, won't they see me?"

"If we stayed in one garden, Larek could give orders for it to be emptied," Sria replied. She thought about the plan for a moment, then nodded and said, "I'll talk to Larek. I can get Shalimar or Sirch to watch Alex for a little while." She walked over to the door, instructing Tess, "You wait here, I'll be right back."

* * *

"Where are we?" Tess asked, glancing around the garden. The garden was fenced in by a tall brick wall, covered with moss and ivy. All around her, gnarled and twisted trees reached up towards the sky. The bark was a dark maroon color. The leaves were a pale green, and they contrasted sharply with the trees flowers, which where the same maroon of the bark. The ground was carpeted in tall blue-green grass, so tall it reached Tess' knees. Shrubs dotted the small garden, large shrubs with brilliant pink flowers, and tiny shrubs with yellow leaves. 

"One of Larek's favorite gardens," Sria replied. "It's on the outskirts of his palace. Beyond that wall," she nodded to the northern wall of the garden, "is the city of Daila."

"So…Radim's army was destroyed?" Tess said quietly, walking through the grass and staring at the flowers, enjoying the feel of the sun on her face.

Sria nodded quietly. "We don't know if Radim survived. Not many did." She looked away for a moment, her green eyes weary, reflecting her haunted and troubled thoughts. "They'll be a report soon, from whoever survived, and we'll know then…"

"Where is Khviar's army now?" Tess asked.

Sria frowned. "We aren't sure. We believe that some of it is still at the sight of the battle. But a contingent may have broken off to scout ahead…"

"So Radim's army did not buy us much time after all?" Tess mused, more to herself than to Sria. She bit her lip, thinking over Sria's information.

"What were you and Shalimar talking about this morning?" Sria asked after a moment, curious as to why Tess was so quiet today.

"Zan, Khivar, economics, and racism," Tess replied. She lapsed into silence, not elaborating any more.

The two of them walked for a while, just listening to the stillness that had fallen. A bird trilled a note overhead, and a gentle breeze drifted through the grass, causing a rustling sound. Tess bent to examine a small blue flower on one of the bushes, and found that it smelled like a mixture of lavender and lemon. Sweet and sour.

Sria observed her friend thoughtfully, watching the emotions that flashed through her blue eyes. She thought back to the other Ava she had known, thought ahead to the long battle that they all faced, and silently prayed that everything would work out in the end.

Although some part of her knew that her prayer was a futile one.

This war came with sacrifices. All wars did.

"Do you smell that?" Tess asked abruptly, looking around in confusion.

"What?" Sria replied, turning to Tess in bewilderment. "Do I smell what?"

"Smoke," Tess replied, walking towards the gate at the northern end of the garden.

"Ava?" Sria called, standing up and walking after her friend. She did not smell anything, but she could tell by the look on Tess' face that the hybrid could smell it quite strongly. "What do you mean? Where is the smoke coming from?"

"Outside," Tess replied simply, not wasting time explaining. She reached the gate and fumbled with the lock, unsure how to open it. When it refused to give in to her attempts, she used her powers to melt it away and pushed the door open.

"Ava, no!" Sria cried out, surprised. She grabbed the hybrid's arm in fear. "If you go out there, you'll be in the city. The citizens will see you. You can't be seen!"

Tess shook her head, recognizing the sense in Sria's words but feeling the inexplicable need to find the source of the smoke. "No…I need to see…" She couldn't explain it, but she knew something big had happened, or was about to happen, and she needed to see it. She needed to witness whatever was about to happen.

Sria opened her mouth to respond, but Tess had already yanked the door open and stepped onto the street.

It was a side street, almost empty. Tess had expected a grand plaza, like the one in front of the White House, or Buckingham Palace in England. Instead, it was just a small side street. In front of her, Tess could see a few people milling around several blocks ahead, and to her right two woman and a child were leaving a store.

Nothing big, nothing fancy.

Nothing particularly foreign.

It looked like a side street in any big city on Earth.

Sria grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards towards the gates. "Ava, what are you doing…" Her words were cut off by the sudden sound of an explosion.

Both woman spun around to watch in horror as two of the buildings to their right caved inwards. They glowed orange with fire. The air was suddenly filled with acrid smoke which hung heavily in the air. Shards of glass littered the streets, mixed with pieces of brick and other rubble. The fire raged, spreading rapidly across the ground and quickly catching the surrounding buildings in a blaze. The sounds of screams, of shouting, of panic sobs filled the air.

Tess saw fleetingly in her mind's eye the pictures of Drasu after Khivar had destroyed the city.

The two woman and the child had been caught in the thick of the fire, and the child screamed n panic and horror, his tiny voice barely audible over the crackling of the flames.

Without thinking, Tess started running towards the three figures. Sria cried out a warning, but she ignored. However, the redhead quickly caught up with Tess before she'd gone more than a few steps and grabbed her arm.

"You can't be seen!" Sria hissed, moving in between the others and Tess. "And if you run into the fire…"

Again, her words were cut off as another building collapsed. The falling bricks littered the ground around Sria and Tess, and Sria lifted a hand and conjured an energy shield to protect them.

"The boy…" Tess whispered, staring in horror. The two women had both fallen unconscious to the ground, but the child was still alive. He was leaning over one of the women, sobbing. Although he was still far enough away that she could not clearly see his features, Tess could hear the fear in his cries.

"This isn't ordinary fire," Sria said abruptly, pulling Tess away from the street and back towards the garden.

"What?" Tess asked, confused, tearing her eyes away from the boy.

"This is weapon-fire," Sria replied. Seeing Tess' confused look, she elaborated, "It is used by armies. It spreads faster than normal fire and is more deadly." She was now practically dragging the hybrid with her as Tess stared helplessly at the people she could not help.

"By armies…?" Understanding leapt into Tess' eyes and she twisted to look at Sria, pausing in the street. "Khivar's army is _here_?"

"Yes!" Sria cried. "And if they see you, if they recognize your essence, everything is lost. You need to get inside. Now!"

"But the boy? The women?" Tess asked almost piteously, unable to comprehend leaving them.

Sria turned and looked back at the other three. A crowd of people were appearing now, running down the side street. Buildings were catching fire all around, causing people to exit them in a mass stampede. The street was rapidly filling with people until the boy and his family were no longer visible.

Sria prayed silently that no one would recognize Tess. They were still far enough a way from the hybrid Queen, and there was so much panic and fear in the air, that they probably would not, but the longer the two remained in the open…

She needed to get inside, now.

"The people…" Tess whispered, watching as more buildings collapsed. Now several people were trapped in circles of raging fire, caught underneath broken beams and buried below piles of bricks and stone.

Sria swallowed and looked away, meeting Tess' haunted sapphire eyes. The people… the people caught in a fire that would kill everything it touched, that spread so quickly it was almost unstoppable except by a few elite fire-fighters trained for this particular situation, a fire started by Khivar and his army… "The people are as good as dead, Ava," Sria whispered, her voice hoarse.

The smoke around them was making Tess choke, and Sria continued to drag Tess to the garden door. The walls of the garden were impervious to this type of fire, if they could just get within the walls they would be safe.

And then the building next to them exploded.

Sria reacted on instinct, shoving Tess to the ground and lifting both her hands to create a shield. The stone hit the energy shield, the fire smashed up against it, spitting sparks and heat at the barrier, but Sria managed to hold her shield long enough to yank Tess to her feet and run towards the garden. At the last possible moment, her strength gave out and the fire nipped at their heals, the flying debris pelted them mercilessly, but Sria shoved them into the garden and slammed the door shut, locking it in place with her powers.

Tess looked down at her body. Her chest and arm were covered in blood, and she could feel a dull throbbing. Nothing was broken, she knew that right away, but everything still hurt. She was also splattered in mud, dirt, and dust.

Sria took a few breaths and said, "We need to find Larek, Ava. He needs to know you are safe, and then we need to talk about what the plan of counterattack is."

"But…the people…" Tess murmured, not listening to Sria's words.

Sria grabbed Tess' arm, her grip tight. "Ava, listen to me!" she spat angrily, trying to get through to the distraught alien. "Those people out there…they're dead. Nothing can save them now. Nothing! And if you had gone to them, they would have seen you, would have recognized you, would have known. They have seen you for all we know. What if Khviar's army was there, Ava? You need to think about that. You need to think before you do anything."

"But all the people…"

"Will die," Sria finished Tess' phrase grimly. "This is today's lesson about being Queen," Sria gasped out, her voice harsh but not unkind. "You may be the people's servant, but there are times when you life is more important that theirs could ever be. Sometimes you have to let them die."

Tess met Sria's gaze for a moment, then whirled around and raced towards the door leading to the inside of the palace, and then into the hall. Tess sprinted along the passage way and up the stairs, making her way through the twisted labyrinth to her room. She flung the door open, and it slammed back against the wall, the crash reverberating through the room. The door then swung shut behind her, and she ran to her bed, tossing herself face down on the comforter. Ignoring the fact that she was supposed to meet with Larek now, not caring that she was tracking mud, dirt, and blood onto the bedspread, disregarding her own injured and bloodied arm and chest, she buried her head in her pillows and sobbed.

* * *

Next Chapter: Again 

Due: Alright, people, here's the deal. This officially starts finals week for me so my schedule is a little busy. I have the next chapter almost finished, and will be able to post it on Wed or Thurs (12/21 or 12/22). But I won't have time to answer the reviews. In fact, I probably won't even have time to read the reviews before I post the next chapter. So if you don't want to review, just don't. While I am always more than happy to get review, I really can't ask anyone to do it since I myself can't respond to them.


	13. Again

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: So this is another song fic chapter. The song is "Beauty From Pain" by Superchick. Also, I am going to do something very unusual for me and actually request reviews on this chapter instead of just saying you can review if you want to. Reviews that say what you thought of the chapter and all that... Basically, it is because this was one of my favorite chapters to write (I actually brainstormed the idea for it and outlined the chapter long before I had started writing the earlier chapters) and I wanted other people's opinions. So don't be afraid to tell me it is horrible if that is what you think, I would like an honest reaction.

Oh, and I know nothing about sword fighting, so the fighting part of this chapter might be a little weak.

* * *

crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

Chapter Thirteen: Again

_Day 12_

_**The lights go out all around me  
One last candle to keep out the night  
And then the darkness surrounds me  
I know I'm alive  
But I feel like I've died**_

"Take a sword, Ava, and let us see how you fight."

Tess stared around the room she had just stepped into. It was a small arena. A few rows of seat encircled a center ring. The seats were filled with different members of the Resistance; some she recognized, some she did not. Standing in the center ring, his back to her, was General Khai. He held a sword in one hand, swinging it expertly through the air.

Tess turned to Sria. "You want me to fight?" she asked, worried. Although she had learned the techniques for fighting, she had never put her knowledge to the test. And now they wanted her to fight _Khai_? She was still upset from the previous day, and although her arm and chest had been completely healed, she was still sore and tired.

Khai turned and faced her, a smirk fixed firmly on his face. "The Queen was trained in fighting. All of the Royals were. As you continually claim that, despite you human half, you are still the Queen…show us. Fight."

Sria nodded encouragingly and stepped away from Tess, taking a seat in the first row. Tess walked down the steps slowly, well aware of the fact that everyone's eyes were trained on her. She stepped into the ring hesitantly and looked around.

"I've taken the liberty of procuring the Queen's sword," Khai said, his voice full of mocking reverence.

A young boy, perhaps eight or nine, stood up and hurried forward. He was clutching a long, thin blade in his hands. He paused before Tess, his eyes wide, and slowly extended his arms, holding out the sword.

Tess took it, and held the sword in her hands. The blade was a thin silver strip of metal, whittled to a fine point at the end with razor sharp edges on the side. The handle was made of a dark red metal. It was a simple sword, without elaborate design.

It felt heavy and awkward in her hands. She shifted it slightly, unsure of what to do.

_**And all that's left is to accept that it's over  
My dreams ran like sand through the fists that I made  
I try to keep warm but I just grow colder  
I feel like I'm slipping away**_

"The Queen trained and fought with that sword before the Zan's fall," Khai said. He turned and gestured to the crowd. "There are healers here, should we get hurt." He noted the anxiety that jumped into Tess' eyes and said, "It is not uncommon for those training to revive mild injuries." He shrugged at Tess and said pointedly, "Only mild. I assure you, I have no intention of orphaning the Heir." As always, his voice filled with reverence as he spoke of Alex.

Tess licked his lips and nodded. "Okay," she said quietly, nervous.

Khai extended his own blade towards her, lifting the point so that it was slightly higher than his waist. Then he bowed stiffly, bending his upper body over his sword.

Tess frowned, assuming that the bowing was some sort of ritual. She stared down at her own sword. Was she supposed to do the same?

"Extend your sword, Ava," Khai said impatiently. "We cannot start the battle until you bow."

She did as she was told, moving awkwardly. Her bow was clumsy, ungraceful. She could not see the others in the room as she bowed, but she could practically feel the contempt in Khai's eyes.

As she straightened up, Khai advanced slowly, his sword in front of him. He swung it at her twice, but she blocked both blows. She managed to twist her sword so that the tip caught under his hand guard and she yanked backward.

Khai lost hold of his sword for a moment as it jumped from his fingers, but he caught it again and jabbed forward. Tess, unprepared for the sudden attack, frantically lifted her blade to catch his. The flat edge of Khai's sword smashed into Tess' blade, and she dropped the sword as pain shot up her arm.

The occupants of the room shifted slightly, their eyes betraying their apprehension. How could this weak hybrid be their Queen? Were they already doomed by fate? They looked away from the training area, embarrassed and worried.

_**After all this has passed  
I still will remain  
After I've cried my last  
There'll be beauty from pain  
Though it won't be today  
Someday I'll hope again  
And there'll be beauty from pain  
You will bring beauty from my pain**_

"You hold your sword too tightly," Khai said contemptuously. "And you are to heavy on your feet. The Queen was taught how to fight. How could you have lost so much knowledge and skill?" He stepped backwards and stared at her, demanding an explanation.

"I forgot," Tess answered quietly, picking up her sword as the blood rushed into her face. "But I'll remember." She held her sword in front of her and looked to Khai. "Again."

Khai hefted his sword into the air and sent a ripple of electricity down the blade. He spun the sword quickly, and the two blades clashed. The energy on his sword jumped to hers and ran up the blade to the handle, and then to her hand, burning the skin.

Another murmur ran through the onlookers. One of the healers shifted in his seat as though to stand. The man next to him caught him by the arm and shook his head. If the Queen was to be any use to them, she would have to learn to fight without being healed. Relying on healers only made a warrior or a monarch weak.

Tess gasped in shock and dropped the sword again. "What was that?" she asked, gingerly touching the burn of the back of her hand.

"When you fight," Khai said derisively, "you will be fighting those who have extraordinary skill. They will be able to channel energy through their sword. I explained this to you. Surely you remember?"

"Yes," Tess snapped, reaching down and lifting her sword. Although she would not admit it to him, it hadn't made sense to her at the time. Now that she had seen what Khai could do, she understood the words of caution that he had directed at her.

_**My whole world is the pain inside me  
The best I can do is just get through the day  
When life before is only a memory  
I wonder why God let me walk through this place**_

She held the sword in her fist, willing her grip to relax slightly, and struggling to ignore the pain in her burned skin. She looked up at Khai and abruptly swung her sword at him, attacking without warning.

Khai lifted his own sword and stopped her easily. He shoved the blade back and she faltered, taking a few quick steps to regain her balance. Khai quickly rained a succession of blows down on her, and she barely managed to bring her sword up in time to block them. She tried to channel her powers down the length of the sword, but only managed to send a few sparks on to the metal. They exploded close to the handle of the sword, causing the blade to fly from her hands yet again.

Khai gave a short barking laugh and said, "You can't just_ use_ your powers, Ava. You have to know how to _control_ it. Channeling energy along a sword takes concentration, skill, training, power, and experience. None of which you have." He glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Shall we call it a day?"

"No!" Tess snapped. She retrieved her sword and lifted it carefully. "Again."

Khai stared at her for a moment, then suddenly lifted his left hand and sent a bolt of energy from his palm. Tess, unprepared for the attack, was hit directly in the chest and sent sprawling back across the floor. The sword fell from her hand as she gasped for breath. She struggled slowly, painfully, to her knees, and stared up at the man looking down at her.

"Pathetic," Khai said. "You have to always be prepared for any attack." He shook his head in disgust. "Give up, Ava," he snarled. "You can't lead us. You aren't a queen anymore." He sheathed his sword and turned his back on Tess. "Without Zan, you are just a human half-breed." He paused and wiped the sweat from hsi forehead. "You didn't even know enough to stay inside when we were under attack. You're naivete and inability to think logically could have ruined us all."

_**And though I can't understand why this happened  
I know that I will when I look back someday**_  
**_And see how you've brought beauty from ashes_**  
_**And made me as gold purified through these flames**_

Tess stiffened at the mention of Max and of the attack the day before, and resolutely pulled herself to her feet. "I haven't dismissed you yet, Khai," she growled.

The others in the room fell silent at that, looking back and forth between the blonde alien and the General. Who would win the power struggle?

Khai looked at her and shook his head. "I don't need you to dismiss me. I can see perfectly well that you are not fit to fight."

Tess wiped the blood from her lips. She took a moment to breathe, allowing her tired body a brief instant of rest. Then she lifted the sword again and held it in front of her, pointing the blade at the General. She raised her eyes to meet those of Khai and ordered one sharp word.

"Again."

Khai paused, then shrugged and drew his sword again. He swung it in a wide arc, then brought it crashing down towards Tess. She raised her own sword to meet his, blocking him. The force of the blow sent her stumbling backwards. She managed to regain her balance and quickly took a defensive stance.

"You fool!" Khai hissed as his blade sliced through the air. "Why do you continue?" Tess ducked the blow and jabbed her own sword towards Khai's knees. He jumped back and brought his blade down on hers. She grappled with the sword, barely holding on to it.

"Why?" Khai asked again, suddenly kicking out at her. His foot hit her in the chest, and she fell to the ground, winded. "You can't win this!" He flicked the tip of his sword up so it was pressed against her throat. "All you are is a waste of my time!"

Tess swallowed and stood up, her sword hanging loosely in her hand. Khai turned to go again, but Tess called him back with her one-word refrain.

"Again."

_**After all this has passed  
I still will remain  
After I've cried my last  
There'll be beauty from pain  
Though it won't be today  
Someday I'll hope again  
And there'll be beauty from pain  
You will bring beauty from my pain**_

"Why?" Khai asked coldly, spinning on her and attacking quickly. She blocked two of his blows and then struck her own. He parried her jabs and pushed her back across the room. "You will never be able to learn. You will never be able to lead. You are nothing without the King!"

Another murmur rippled through the crowd. Khai may be blunt and discourteous, but he spoke what they all believed.

"Shut up!" Her face flushed with fury and exertion, Tess beat her blade down on Khai's sword. Khai stumbled away from her and quickly regained his footing, preparing to attack.

But Tess did not give him a chance to take the offensive. She moved towards him, raining a serious of sharp blows down on his blade. He had to work furiously to block her.

"Max is nothing!" Tess hissed as she forced her sword sideways. Khai moved his quickly to block her, and she changed direction mid-swing, pushing her sword towards his chest. Khai too changed the direction of his sword, barely managing to stop her before she had stabbed him.

"_Don't_ speak ill of Zan," Khai warned, twisting his wrist, and causing his blade to smash into the side of Tess' sword. The petite alien staggered backwards. Khai then brought his sword swinging towards her face. She lifted her sword, blocking his blow. The power behind the attack caused pain to shoot up her arm and she stepped back, gasping.

Khai took her momentary faltering as an opportunity to attack with his powers. He lifted his palm and a whirlwind of blue energy pulsed from his hand, flying at Tess.

She lifted her sword quickly, catching the energy on the silver blade. The blade was forced backwards, her own handle hitting her hard in the chest and she stumbled again in shock and pain.

"Zan is the king," Khai continued as he swung his sword at her. "_You_ are the one who is nothing."

The audience suddenly began to watch with more interest. Something had jumped into the sapphire eyes of the young woman in front of them, something that reminded them all of the Queen they had once known.

_**Here and I am at the end of me  
Trying to hold to what I can't see  
I forgot how to hope  
This night's been so long  
I cling to your promise there will be a dawn**_

Tess blocked the attack, struggling to regain the upper hand. "He is a pathetic excuse for a human, and an even worse excuse for an Antarian," she snarled, circling her sword quickly, and making two rapid jabs at Khai. "He abandoned you! Don't you get it? He isn't coming. He doesn't care."

Khai blocked the first jab, but the second nicked the skin on his arm and he jumped back, surprised. "That isn't true," he said angrily. He needed to believe that Zan was coming. They all needed to believe that their savior would come. "He'll come. We need him."

"We don't need him. _I_ don't need him," Tess spat, blinded by rage and fury. She clashed swords with Khai. The smash of metal caused vibrations to move up both swords. Tess continued her onslaught.

"With or without Max, I will always be the Queen!" Tess declared. And then, quite suddenly, she knew what to do. Instinctively, she reached deep inside herself, bringing all of her power and all of her strength to the surface. She channeled her power through her hands and along the length of the blade, making it dance with blue and green light.

Then she attacked.

The sword hit Khai's sword, and the energy flowing along the blade exploded as it made contact. There was a flash and the sound of metal hitting metal, then the combined force of Tess' blow and the power radiating from her hands shook Khai's sword from his grip. The General's blade leapt into the air and crashed to the ground.

The energy from the explosion hit Khai full in the chest and forced him to his knees. Breathing heavily, Tess stepped forwards and flicked the tip of her sword up so that it was pressed against Khai's throat.

_**After all this has passed  
I still will remain  
After I've cried my last  
There'll be beauty from pain  
Though it won't be today  
Someday I'll hope again  
And there'll be beauty from pain  
You will bring beauty from my pain**_

A silence fell over the room as all eyes turned to Tess. Khai swallowed apprehensively, watching the blonde hybrid as she stared down at him. She held his gaze for a moment, then backed away and allowed her sword to drop by her side. She walked over to Khai's fallen sword and lifted it, then extended it out to the General.

Khai stood stiffly and took the sword, his eyes still wide with disbelief. He held it loosely in his hand while Tess lifted her own blade and pointed it at him.

"Again."

* * *

Next Chapter: Phoenix Rising 

Due: Sunday 12/25 (Christmas!)


	14. Phoenix Rising

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Sorry this update is so late in the day, this was a very difficult chapter for me to write because the end is kind of sad (you will see what I mean). Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed, I believe I responded to all of them. Remember to leave an e-mail address of to sign in before you review if you want an answer from me. And you may want to review the list below.

* * *

Okay, just a reminder of who the major players are: 

Tess and Larek, of course

Alex-Tess's son, named after Alex Whitman

Audin-diplomat to Larek from the planet Byor

Arya-the regional ruler from the province of Tel'ai, which is the capital province on Antar. She was recently deposed by Khivar

Khai-main general and leader of the Resistance, Rath's younger brother

Sria- the original Ava's best friend, one of Larek's advisors, and a native of the planet L'so

Lotho-general of Larek's army (like Rath was for Zan), married to Kani, killed by Khivar's army.

Kani-married to Lotho, she is one of Larek's closest friends and advisors

Tunia-a Resistance spy killed by Khivar, most likely set up by a traitor

Resistance members with smaller roles: Radim, Trell, Zyith, Shalimar, Sirch, Nasada (Zyith and Radim both killed by Khivar's army)

Places of importance:

Tel'ai-capital province of Antar, has Dimaras Rock, where Zan met Ava. The Triaji Desert, the Cortai Jungle, the Landra River, and the Fel Mountains are all located in this province as well.

Antar-the capital city of Antar has the same name as the planet.

Sab and Drasu-cities in Tel'ai that Khivar attacked and decimated, no adults were left alive in either.

Mt. Sinai-a mountain in Tel'ai, it's name means (in Antarian) 'mountain of fate'

Daila: The capital city of Larek's planet.

Lexan: A city on Larek's planet.

* * *

crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fireChapter Fourteen: Phoenix Rising 

_Day 13_

"My Lady?"

Tess jumped at the formal title and turned, finding Sirch standing behind her in the hallway. He was holding a pile of maps in his arms, and was eyeing her with a slightly apprehensive glance, as though afraid she would suddenly attack him.

The apprehension on his face was not a surprise to Tess. She had seen it on the faces of everyone else…Shalimar, Nasada, Audin, Trell…even Larek was now treating her with the utmost respect.

Ever since her sparing with Khai.

And yet oddly enough, now that they were treating her as the Queen she had struggled so hard to be, she found herself wishing more and more for the way things were before.

Before everyone looked to her to lead.

"Yes, Sirch?" Tess replied calmly.

"There is a meeting now. We are waiting for you to come and start…" Sirch shifted the maps in his arms, freeing his left hand and taking Tess by the elbow, guiding her down the hallway.

"What is the meeting about?" Tess asked curiously. She had spent much of the morning in meetings, discussing different tactics for response. Most of Daila had been destroyed in the attack yesterday, although Larek's army had managed to deliver a critical blow to Khivar's troops. Know the army patrolled the city, both ferreting out enemies and traitors hiding in the ruined remains and offering relief work to those who had been harmed in the brief battle.

But all this had happened outside the palace walls, and Tess found herself feeling very removed from it. Except for her brief excursion two days ago, she had not seen the city, or the destruction. Larek had expressly forbidden her from leaving the safety of the palace walls, and, although her pride rebelled against the order, she recognized the legitimacy in his concerns. It was simply to dangerous for her to leave, or to be seen.

The more people who knew about her return, the more danger they were all in. Better to stay safe and hidden then risk exposure and defeat. For the sake of the people of Antar, her life and the life of her son had to be preserved.

At all costs.

It was a decision that Larek had taken to heart. Guards circled the palace, with orders to shoot anyone who looked suspicious. Kill and ask questions later. It was a brutal method of survival that twisted Tess' stomach into knots, but she had to remind herself that this was a war. People would die, and _nothing_ she did would ever change that.

She just had to stop Khivar before too many people died.

"There have been some new developments," Sirch said, cutting into Tess' thoughts. He paused outside the Council Chambers, his face serious. "Larek will tell you everything," he said grimly, opening the door and allowing Tess to enter in front of him.

As she stepped into the room, the several people sitting there looked up, and instantly stood in respect. Larek and Sria were on their feet automatically, Audin was a moment behind, and Khai lingered in his chair, clearly not wanting to stand.

Khai had shown her more respect than usual, and had curbed his acerbic comments while in the presence of others, but Tess still got the distinct impression that he spent most of the time mocking her, even if the insults were now veiled and discreet.

How much more would she have to do to prove herself to him?

"Has Sirch told you anything yet, my Lady?" Audin asked quietly. He waited until Tess took a seat, then he sat as well.

"Nothing yet," Tess replied. "Just that there was a development." She placed her hands on the table in front of her, feeling the smooth wood under her palms. Directing her next comment to Larek, she asked, "What is it? What has happened?"

Larek returned her gaze grimly. "Our traitor has struck again," he snarled, and Tess flinched, surprised at the anger in his tone.

"How?" the blonde hybrid asked, fearing the worst.

"He or she has informed Khivar of the secret pathways to Antar," Sria explained, her tone cold and filled with barely contained fury.

"Elaborate," Tess replied, then paused, blinking in surprise. The word had come out sharp, an unmistakable order, when she had only intended it to be a request. But it had felt right for her to give the order, to demand an explanation.

It was Khai who answered. "There are several ways to enter a planet. One is the quite obvious landing with a spaceship. It requires going through official airspace, and your arrival and departure are tracked by the planet's government." He paused for a moment, staring at Tess, and she had the unmistakable impression that he was nonverbally mocking her lack of knowledge.

"Obviously not something we would want to do during a war," Sria added, running a hand through her thick hair. The other planet knows you are coming and they simply destroy your spaceship while you are still in flight."

"So what are the other ways?" Tess asked, glancing from Sria to Khai.

The Antarian general snorted impatiently. "Slipping in, unnoticed. A planet is quite large, and the entire airspace around it cannot be watched indefinitely."

"Why not?" Tess questioned. "Don't you have computers with…I don't know…infrared or ultraviolet scanning? Can't they watch the airspace all the time?" She blinked, wondering whether or not anything she was saying would sound even remotely intelligent.

Or did she just watch way too much of the SciFi channel?

"Computers can be tricked," Sria said noncommittally. "There are certain areas of the space which, given there chemical make up, allow us to…alter…what the computer sees."

"How?" Tess demanded, surprised at that bit of information. How do you trick a computer?

Sria and Khai exchanged a brief look, then both turned to Larek, waiting. Larek glanced over at Tess, frowning slightly as he pondered the unspoken question, then glanced over at Khai and shook his head.

Khai turned to Tess and replied, "We can't tell you." Tess opened her mouth to argue, but Khai held up a hand, stalling her. "Not because we don't want to…" his tone leaving little doubt that that was _exactly_ what he wanted, "…but because we need to keep the secret well guarded. It is one bit of information that Khivar does not currently have, and we would like to keep it that way."

"Nobody in this room is going to betray us to Khivar, least of all me!" Tess retorted.

"All the same, Ava, this is for the best," Larek spoke up gently, placing a hand on Tess' arm and shaking his head slowly. "Trust me, this is for the best."

Tess signed and nodded. "Fine," she gave in, albeit ungracefully.

She _did_ trust Larek.

Audin spoke up quickly, guiding the conversation back to the original topic. "The traitor apparently informed Khivar of existence of these pathways. The computer could not track spaceships going through them, but if a Antarian trained in computer technology and aerial navigation was watching the screen, they would be able to tell if someone was entering."

"So?" Tess replied. "What did Khivar do?"

"The traitor informed him of the _exact_ location of these pathways," Larek said glumly. "He is having each of them watched by specialized scientists. We can't sneak in anymore, and no one can sneak out."

"This is quite serious because this was a very well guarded secret," Audin spoke up. "Which means…"

"Whoever the traitor is, he or she has access to highly classified information," Tess finished, realizing the full implications of Audin's words.

"Exactly," Sria replied. "Not even everyone in this room knows the locations of all of them, and only a very select few of us know how they work."

"And everything is being watched?" Tess asked at last. "Every secret pathway?"

"Except the one over the Triaji desert," Khai answered.

"Why do we even bother to have that one?" Larek asked, frowning slightly at Khai. "Even if we could sneak into the desert, we would die long before we managed to get out of it. It is a barren wasteland."

Khai shrugged, having no answer to that question.

"There is another issue that we should discuss with the Queen," Sirch said solemnly, changing the subject. All eyes turned to him, and he shrugged impatiently. "Morxan may yet be an ally to us," he pressed.

"I do not trust him," Larek replied, shaking his head gravely. "He has no allegiance to anyone but himself."

"If we can convince him that it is in his best interests to help us…" Sria murmured softly, glancing over at Sirch. "Sirch is correct, Morxan may be an ally."

"Until Khivar manages to by his allegiance for a higher price," Khai objected. "Morxan sells his services to the highest bidder. He is a mercenary, nothing more."

"Plenty of wars on Earth were fought with mercenaries," Tess cut in. A silence fell at her words, as each person in the room waited for her opinion. "Who is this Morxan?" she asked.

"He is a native of my planet," Larek explained gruffly, his voice laced with venom. It was clear he thought very little of the man. "He's traveled the galaxy quite a bit, though, and has spent little time here since he was born."

"He's a merchant," Khai continued. "And a very successful one."

"One of the wealthiest men in the entire Southern Beltway," Larek said heavily. "He could be an asset to us, Ava. Or rather, his money, contacts, and influence could."

"But you don't think he would be loyal to you?" Tess asked. "He wouldn't be loyal to me?"

"Morxan may follow us, if we can find his favor," Sria pointed out. She turned to Tess and explained quickly, "He may change loyalties on someone that he has a business partnership with, but those he actually likes…He stays with them for life."

"And he holds a grudge forever," Larek pointed out. "He is vindictive. He will do whatever he can to get back at those that he believes have wronged him."

Tess licked her lips, then said, "Well, we shall simply have to earn his favor."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Khai asked, again the mocking hidden in his tone and stare.

Tess frowned slightly, thinking about the question. How exactly did she plan to do that?

* * *

"Morxan is waiting for you in the Council Chambers," Khai said slowly, watching as Tess rocked her son gently back and forth in his crib.

The blonde hybrid glanced up at the general and nodded. "Thank you, Khai," she replied. "I will be there in a moment." Her voice was cool, cold almost, and her words were a blatant dismissal. And, yet again, the order was given without her realizing what she was doing.

She was subconsciously taking control.

Tess stood and glanced over at Sria, who was leaning against the wall by the window, staring blankly at nothing. "Will you watch Alex for me, Sria?" she asked.

"Of course," Sria replied, nodding and walking over to the crib. Tess smiled her thanks and left the room, following Khai through the hallway and towards the Chambers.

"You will be meeting with Morxan alone," Khai said abruptly. Tess raised an eyebrow, she had never been in a meeting by herself, how would she know what to say? Khai smirked slightly, seeing the worry in Tess' eyes, and said coldly, "Consider it your final test."

"I didn't realize I passed the other ones," Tess shot back.

Khai gave her an appraising look. "Yes," he said at last. "Yes, you did realize it." It was a simple statement, not a contradiction or accusation of any sort. It was a fact.

Tess looked away. "You do not act as though I did," she murmured. She glanced around, noting that they had reached the door to the Council Chamber.

Khai paused, placing a hand on the wall next to Tess and baring her from going any further. He looked at her for a long time, his eyes searching her face, before he said abruptly, "Morxan did not support Zan."

Tess blinked, confusion gracing her features. "What?"

"He was one of those who believed that Rath should have been king. That Zan should have stepped aside and given the throne to his second-in-command, because Rath would have been a leader, and he may have been able to stop Khivar. Morxan does _not_ like Zan."

Khai's words were curt, sharp, and Tess guessed there was a second meaning in them, one she could not decipher. She stared at Khai, watching as he turned and left her, disappearing down the hallway. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, thinking over the words. Where was the meaning? What had he been telling her?

Unbidden, recent memories appeared in her mind.

_He has no allegiance to anyone but himself. _

_Morxan may follow us, if we can find his favor. He may change loyalties on someone that he has a business partnership with, but those he actually likes…He stays with them for life._

_And he is vindictive. He will do whatever he can to get back at those he believes have wronged him._

_Morxan does _not_ like Zan._

And Tess did not like Max.

They agreed on something, and Tess could use that to her advantage. Morxan would be much more likely to help someone he knew had already been wronged by the king he disliked. Someone who already harbored a venomous grudge against the one-time king…

If Tess could convince Morxan that helping her would be tantamount to 'getting even' at Max, then there was a chance that he would join them.

A slim chance, but a chance nonetheless.

Tess smiled as she realized that she knew how to get Morxan on her side. She could prove to everyone that she could handle people who were initially hostile to her. The final test…and she would pass it with flying colors.

And then, in a moment of shock, Tess realized that she would never have come up with the idea on her own. If Khai had not told her…

He had _helped_ her.

He had helped _her_.

And it had not been an accident. She remembered the look in his eyes as he repeated the words to her. He had been trying to convey the message, trying to pass along the information.

He had been _trying_ to help her.

Suddenly she could here Sria's voice in her head. The words were from several days ago, but she could remember then distinctly, remember the way Sria had said them. She smiled at the memory, letting the words reverberate through her mind.

_Once you earn his trust and reverence, he will follow you loyally until his death._

Filled with sudden confidence, Tess pushed the door the meeting room open and walked inside, her head held high.

* * *

Tess reappeared in her own rooms several hours later, exhausted by the verbal trial she had been through. But Morxan was on their side now, and that was something to be grateful for.

Sria and Audin were sitting in her room, talking quietly to each other. They looked up at her arrival and stood instantly. Sria's face broke into a smile as she saw the triumph in Tess' expression.

"Morxan is on our side," Sria breathed.

"He is discussion logistics with Larek as we speak," Tess replied, her face breaking into a wide grin.

"Congratulations, my Lady," Audin said confidently. He watched as she swayed on the spot, her strength momentarily giving out. She caught herself before she fell, but he had seen the display of weakness all the same and asked in concern, "Are you alright?"

"Just a little tired," Tess admitted, giving the diplomat a weak grin. She glanced over at Sria. "Did I interrupt anything?"

"No," Sria replied quickly. "Audin was just coming to say goodbye. He is leaving for Byor in a few hours."

"I am sorry to hear that," Tess said softly to Audin, and meaning every word of it.

"Me too," Audin replied. "Me too." He closed his eyes for a moment, running his hand through his dark hair. "I wish I could stay and help you, but my planet calls…"

"Of course," Tess answered.

"Well, I must speak with Larek before I go," Audin said finally, when neither Sria or Tess made a move to break the tense silence that had fallen. "I will see you both before I go, we should have one last meeting…" He nodded politely to Tess, sent a smile towards Sria, and then left the room, closing the door behind him with a sharp snap.

Sria glanced down at the sleeping child in the crib and said, "As long as Alex is sleeping, Ava, perhaps we should take a walk?"

"A walk?" Tess asked, surprised. All she wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep for the next hundred years.

"You have no seen the hall of mirrors yet," Sria replied, smiling brightly. "It is magnificent, and you must see it before you leave us."

"If there is no way to enter Antar, I may not be leaving you any time soon," Tess pointed out, although she followed Sria to the door and out of the room.

"Perhaps," Sria consented, her face troubled. "The shape-shifter will reach Khivar tomorrow, and he will know of your presence. Whatever is going to happen, it must happen soon. You should see the mirrors now, just in case."

The two of them walked in silence for a long time, then Tess asked, "What is the hall of mirrors?"

"It is a surprise," Sria replied, grinning slightly at the annoyed look on Tess' face. "Don't you like surprises?"

"No," Tess answered simply, causing Sria to burst into laughter.

"Audin suggested that you see it," the redhead admitted. "I would not have thought of it on my own."

"Oh?"

Sria nodded as she guided Tess through another labyrinth of hallways. "Yes, and it was quite a good idea." She paused for a moment, a far away look in her eyes. "He was there two days ago, when I went to tell Larek that you and I were going to wander through one of the gardens. He knew that it had not ended…well. What with the fire and everything… He thought this would be a safer way of enjoying the beauty of the palace."

And with that, Sria pushed open the doors, revealing a long hallway of colored mirrors. Light danced back and forth in the room, casting different colors across the floor in a tableau of patterns and hues. Shadows danced in the corners, shifting their shape as the light traveled near them.

Tess felt the breath catch in her throat at how beautiful it was. She took a few halting steps into the hallway, her eyes traveling over everything. In one of the mirrors, her gold hair appeared a soft lavender, in another her pale face was dyed a dark midnight blue. Sria followed behind her, quietly watching.

The two stood in the hallway for several minutes, just watching the light.

And then the explosion hit the far end of the hallway, and Sria grabbed Tess, pulling her backward in fear.

"What…Wh-what happened?" Tess screamed over the deafening roar of shattering glass. But she did not need to hear Sria's answer to know.

The skins had invaded Larek's palace.

"Ava get out of here!" Sria screamed, pushing Ava towards the exit and she spun to face the intruders. There were three skins who crawled over the debris, advancing with deadly serious expressions on their faces.

"Not without you," Tess hissed, her eyes darting back and forth. They were outnumbered, but not too badly. Perhaps…

"Go!" Sria cried out, protecting her friend with her own body.

"Listen to her, your Majesty," the first skin hissed, his dark eyes flashing dangerously. "You would want to get hurt, now, would you…?"

"Wouldn't want to die," another skin added, his face twisted into a sneer.

"You'll be the ones dying tonight," Sria snarled, firing a blast of pure white energy at the first skin.

The skin blocked it with a shield of red light, which reflected off the shattered fragments of mirror on the floor. Sria responded with two more assaults, both much faster, and one managed to strike home. The first skin fell to the floor, dead, but not before the second skin had managed to burn Sria's shoulder. A brief and bitter struggle insued between the second skin and the redhead.

The third skin, meanwhile, was advancing slowly on Tess. He smiled at her, his yellow eyes mocking her in her fear. "Wonder who's watching the Heir right now?" he smirked, and Tess felt her blood run cold.

She threw out her hands, telekinetically shoving the skin away from her and across the hall. The second skin turned towards his fallen comrade, startled, and Sria took that moment to fire a lethal blast of energy at him, and he too fell, dead.

The third skin was on his feet again, eyeing the two apprehensively, but still smirking at them.

"Ava, go back to your son," Sria ordered, her eyes never leaving the skin.

Tess backed away slowly, unwilling to leave Sria on her own, but knowing that Alex could be in serious danger. She reached the exit and shoved the door open, watching as Sria and the skin exchanged energy blows. The third skin finally fell, and Sria turned to Tess, triumphant but still scared.

And then the fourth skin appeared, seemingly from nowhere, stepping over the rubble at the end of the hall.

Tess heard the footsteps, and spun around in time to see the bolt of energy leave the skin's outstretched hand. She opened her mouth to scream out a warning, but the word died on her lips as she stared on in helpless horror. The energy struck Sria in the back, and the redhead was lifted off of the ground, her body glowing with a eerie blue light. She hung in the air for a moment, then crashed heavily into the wall and slid to the ground, her eyes closing shut.

The skin turned to Tess, his lips splitting into a wicked grin as he lifted his hand again and prepared to attack.

He never made it.

Tess, without thinking of what she was doing, fixed her gaze upon the skin and lifted her arms in front of her. All her anger, all her pain, all her fury, all her loss, all her grief, _everything_, channeled through her outstretched arms, bursting out of her fingertips in a flurry and flash of light unlike anything she had ever done, ever even seen, before.

When the glow of light finally faded, the entire hall was in ruins, and the skin was nothing more than dust and ash. And Tess could only stare down at her hands, as she realized that this was the first time she had ever taken a life herself.

She finally was what she had been accused of in the pod chamber that day.

A killer.

* * *

Next Chapter: Queen 

Due: I'm not really sure. Hopefully within the next week, but I can't promise anything because I am going out of town and will not have access to a computer for several days. But it will definitely be up by Jan. 3 (which I think is a week from Tuesday).


	15. Queen

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Alright, so this is Day 14 in my story, which means, for those of you who remember my previous Author's notes, that this is also the last chapter (of this story in the series). So I have two things to say: first, this is dark and has death, so if you don't like that sort of stuff, don't read. Nothing graphic though.

Second, most of this is done is flashbacks, and all the flashbacks are in italics.

* * *

Okay, just a reminder of who the major players are: 

Tess and Larek, of course

Alex-Tess's son, named after Alex Whitman

Audin-diplomat to Larek from the planet Byor

Arya-the regional ruler from the province of Tel'ai, which is the capital province on Antar. She was recently deposed by Khivar

Khai-main general and leader of the Resistance, Rath's younger brother

Sria- the original Ava's best friend, one of Larek's advisors, and a native of the planet L'so, killed by skins.

Lotho-general of Larek's army (like Rath was for Zan), married to Kani, killed by Khivar's army.

Kani-married to Lotho, she is one of Larek's closest friends and advisors

Tunia-a Resistance spy killed by Khivar, most likely set up by a traitor

Resistance members with smaller roles: Radim, Trell, Zyith, Shalimar, Sirch, Nasada (Zyith and Radim both killed by Khivar's army)

Places of importance:

Tel'ai-capital province of Antar, has Dimaras Rock, where Zan met Ava. The Triaji Desert, the Cortai Jungle, the Landra River, and the Fel Mountains are all located in this province as well.

Antar-the capital city of Antar has the same name as the planet.

Sab and Drasu-cities in Tel'ai that Khivar attacked and decimated, no adults were left alive in either.

Mt. Sinai-a mountain in Tel'ai, it's name means (in Antarian) 'mountain of fate'

Daila: The capital city of Larek's planet.

Lexan: A city on Larek's planet.

* * *

crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

Chapter Fifteen: Queen

_Day 14_

It was hot. The sun shone brightly, casting harsh rays of light at the desert. Tess stepped out of the ship and looked around, her eyes scanning the sand for any sign of life. But she saw nothing, for Larek had been right, it was a barren wasteland.

She turned and glanced towards the west. In the far off distance she could see the shadowy outline of mountains. The Fel. They rose up against the sky, shimmering in the heat. That was where she was going.

So far away.

"Your Majesty?" Shalimar murmured, holding out a swaddled Alex. Tess turned and took her son in her hands. She held him close to her chest and stared up at Shalimar, who was glancing around in concern. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"Yes," Tess replied in a determined voice. "Yes, I'm sure."

Shalimar nodded and pointed out into the distance, towards the mountains. "Walk to the west, then, Majesty. Arya will guide you on your way."

"Thank you, Shalimar," Tess replied. She reached down and lifted a bag, pulling it on to her back. Then she lifted another bag and held it over one shoulder. Holding Alex tightly in the crook of her elbow, she straightened and nodded to Shalimar. "You had better go."

Shalimar inclined her head slightly, agreeing with the words, although the expression in her eyes shows clearly her reluctance to leave the Queen and the newborn Heir. "May the stars watch over you," she murmured, than turned and walked out of the sun and heat and into the cool recesses of her ship. The metal door clanged shut behind her.

A moment later, the engines sprang to life, and kicked up the sand and dust around the bottom of the ship. Tess backed away and watched as the ship lifted off the ground, then diseapeared abruptly, shooting off into the sky. Tess followed the trajectory, watching long after the aircraft had faded from view.

Then she turned towards the west, and began to walk resolutely onwards, with nothing to keep her company but the memories of the previous day.

_Tess felt the tears slip from her eyes as she knelt by the still form of her best friend. She placed a hand on Sria's heart, and another on the side of her throat, praying for a heartbeat, but feeling nothing. Sobs caught in her throat as she turned her head and looked at the destruction around her._

_Sria was dead._

_She had no idea how long she stayed there, in that position, praying for a miracle she knew would not come. From the floor above her, she could hear the sound of footsteps in the hall, the shouts and clamor of fighting. The air was hot, a heat she now knew meant that weapon fire was being used. Through the confusion and pain, her tired brain registered that the palace was under attack._

_She needed to get back to Larek. She needed to get back to safety. _

_But she was loathe to leave Sria's body unguarded. With the skins desecrate like they had Lotho's, burning the corpse?_

_And then she jolted as another thought occurred to her, one so terrifying it took her breath away._

_Alex._

_She spun around and fled up the stairs, her feet barely touching the floor as she made her way towards her son's room, praying she was not too late._

_She had no idea how she managed to find her way to her son's room through the labyrinth of interconnecting pathways. But some sixth sense brought her to the room, and she flung the door open with all her might, raising both hands in preparation to attack whoever was there._

_She stopped herself just in time._

_It was only Audin._

_He was holding Alex, trying in vain to soothe the crying infant. He turned as the door flew open, and stared, quite startled, at Tess. Then relief flooded his face and he cried, "My Lady! We feared you had been captured. Larek sent me to retrieve the Heir and take him to safety. The palace is under attack!"_

_Tess took her son from Audin's hands and ordered, "Take me to Larek."_

"_He is fighting in the front lines, Majesty. It is too dangerous for me to take you to him, but I'll take you to the safe house. Shalimar and Sirch are there, trying to find a way to defeat Khivar's army."_

_Tess nodded and followed Audin from the room, her heart beating wildly._

_They ran through a set of double doors at the end of the hallway and down stairs that Tess did not recognize. The entire building began to shake, and Tess fell to her knees, both arms circling around her son to protect him. Audin bent down next to her, pulling her hurriedly to her feet and giving her his arm to support her. _

"_Not much farther, Majesty," Audin whispered encouragingly. He pulled her out into another hallway, and Tess froze in horror at the scene before her._

_The ground was soaked with blood. Soldiers lay around her, dead and dying, their faces fixed in expressions of horror. The walls were covered with scorch marks, the effects of energy blasts, and cut deep with grooves caused by slashing swords. Tapestries were yanked off the walls and fell in heaps on the ground._

"_Come on!" Audin hissed, grabbing Tess and pulling her away from the gruesome sight._

_Tess shook her head to clear the stinging tears and murmured, "Sria…"_

"_What about Sria?" Audin asked as he led Tess down yet another hallway, this was dark and narrow._

"_Dead," Tess gasped as the choking sobs filled her again._

_Audin turned to her in confusion. "Sria's dead?" he asked. "How?"_

"_Skins," Tess murmured, pausing and leaning against the wall as tears coursed down her face. "Killed her in the hall of mirrors."_

"_Oh, you went to see the hall of mirrors?" Audin inquired distractedly. He was not looking at Tess anymore, but instead at her son, his eyes fixed on Alex, and burning with a strange and intense light._

"_She said you suggested it," Tess whispered. "After the incident in the garden, you were there… I mean, when Sria went to tell Larek, you where there…and then you knew that the attack happened…you suggested…mirrors…so pretty…" Tess gasped through her sobs. Audin's eyes narrowed as he looked at her, and, as though something had suddenly clicked into place, Tess suddenly leapt backwards and away from Audin._

_He had known where she was going to be when the city went up in flames. _

_He had suggested she go to an unguarded hallway and then Khivar had so conveniently attacked._

_And Khivar had a spy in the Resistance._

"_Audin…" Tess breathed, her eyes widening in fear. "Where are you taking me?"_

"_To safety!" Audin cried, his face filled with sudden panic as he saw the thoughts moving through Tess' eyes. "We have to go, now! We can talk later, but it isn't safe here."_

_Tess lifted a hand and blew Audin backwards and away from her, then turned on her heel and fled, praying silently that she and her son would make it out of the palace alive._

Audin, a traitor. It had been almost inconceivable at the time. Inconceivable that the man whom she had come to trust was really a spy for her worst enemy. How could she have been so naïve, so foolish, to assume that everyone was exactly what they said they were?

Tess sat down on the hot desert sand for a moment, gathering her thoughts. The sun was setting slowly, turning the sky crimson. The air was not cooling, though, she wondered briefly if the nights would be as hot as the days.

She was stuck in this desert until she reached her destination point at the foot of the Fel. And that meant she was stuck here for a very long time.

Audin.

Tess closed her eyes and pictured his face, remembering the way he had looked at her right before she had attacked him, the fury and frustration in his eyes. She had turned and run, desperate to get away from the man who had betrayed them all.

Another traitor, another painful memory, another moment in time she wanted to forget.

_Tess yanked a door open and found herself in a small, dimly lit room, somewhat like a storm cellar. The walls were heavy stone, covered in a thin layer of dust. The floor was carpeted in a ragged brown rug with several patches as bare spots. There was a wooden door on the other side, with hinges so rusty Tess assumed they had not been used in decades. _

_The blonde advanced to the door and pressed her ear against it, listening for any sound. On the other side of the door she could hear the sharp rap of shoes as someone paced rapidly down the hallway, then a few voices, rising and falling in hushed whispers. She could not make out the words, or tell whether the people were friends or foes. _

_And then she heard a sound, a voice, one that she recognized, and that she had never been happier to hear._

_It was Khai._

"_Is there any news on the Queen or the Heir?" Khai's sharp voice asked, loud enough to be heard through the wood door._

_Before a response could be given, Tess shoved the door open and stepped into the hallway._

_It was a long hall, lit with torches on the walls. Khai was standing near the wall, speaking to Shalimar and Kani. Shalimar's dark eyes were filled with fear and anger, but Kani's face was blank. Her blonde hair was pulled away from her face, revealing a series of long gashes along her cheek and neck. Her eyes were a cold blue._

"_My Lady? You're safe," Shalimar breathed in relief, her eyes quickly glancing over Tess and little Alex. "We sent Audin to find the Heir, we thought you were lost…" Shalimar let the sentence drift for a moment, then smiled hesitantly and said, "It is a relief to see you are alive."_

"_Come. We must hurry," Khai instructed, barely giving Tess a second glance. He grabbed her arm and propelled her forward and through the hall, his eyes sweeping left and right as he watched for enemies. _

_The sound of a small explosion caused the group to turn in time to see a door blown off its hinges and thrown across the hallway. It crashed into the opposite wall and shattered, and several skins poured forth._

_Kani reacted almost instantly, lifting a hand and creating a shield between herself and then skins. "Run!" she hissed as she struggled to maintain the protection._

_Tess hesitated, knowing that if they did not stay and fight, Kani would eventually be overwhelmed and killed. She wanted to stay, wanted to protect the woman who was so obviously willing to die in the service of the Resistance, but Khai grabbed her tightly and dragged her away._

"_She'll be killed!" Tess protested as Khai shoved her around a corner and through a doorway into a narrow set of stairs._

"_I know," Khai said grimly, his eyes filled with a pain so raw that it hurt Tess to hold eye contact. She looked away, and Khai continued in a hard voice, "I doubt many of us will be alive by the end of the day."_

"_It doesn't matter," Shalimar added. "All that matters is that you and the Heir are safe." She looked back up the stairs towards the door they had come through and murmured, "Hurry, Khai. We do not have much time."_

"_Audin," Tess said abruptly. "Audin betrayed me."_

"_Don't be ridiculous," Khai snapped as he pushed Tess through yet another set of doors and down another hallway. "Audin is on our side. He is no traitor."_

"_No…I know he did," Tess replied, licking her dry lips and pulling Alex closer to her chest. "He got Sria killed," her voice hitched slightly as she said the words. She still could not believe it, would not have believed it, if she had not seen it with her own eyes. Sria, dead._

"_Sria was killed?" Shalimar asked gently. "Oh…I'm so sorry, my Lady." She knew Sria and Ava had been best friends, and that Sria was close to this hybrid Queen as well._

"_Audin told her to go to the mirrors with me…we were attacked by skins there. And he also knew she was going to the gardens with me when the fire happened…he was there when Sria told Larek…" Tess gasped, out of breath, her face flushed with exertion and terror. _

_But Khai was not looking at her anymore. He was staring contemplatively into the distance, his eyes filled with a strange light. For a moment, it seemed as though he had quite forgotten that they were in the middle of a war. _

_But at last he shook his head and said swiftly, "No matter. We do not have time to dwell on this. Audin will be dealt with. Come, we must hurry." And he turned and ran down the hallway, Tess and Shalimar following behind him._

_They arrived in a large room, open to the sky above. In the center of the room was a large ship, surrounded by several men dressed in an army uniform. They saluted the moment Khai entered the room, then turned to stare at Tess and little Alex in open-mouthed wonder. _

"_You will take the Queen and the Heir from this planet," Khai instructed one o the soldiers, the one who seemed to be in charge. "Shalimar will accompany her."_

"_Where will we take her?" the soldier questioned, already signaling his men to start up the spacecraft. _

"_Wait…what do you mean?" Tess demanded hotly. "I am _not _leaving!"_

_Shalimar switched her gaze from Khai to Tess, then glanced over at the soldiers, who were staring at Tess, unsure of what to do. Although they knew that Tess far outranked Khai, they had little doubt in their minds that there would be hell to pay if they did not follow Khai's orders._

"_Yes, you are," Khai ordered, his tone harsh. "It is too dangerous for you to stay here. If Khivar did not know you were here before, he knows it now. The skins saw you. Kani must be dead by now, Sirch, Trell, and Nasuda will die shortly, and Larek himself stands little chance. The entire royal army of Antar is here. You must leave!"_

"_I can't just…" Tess let the sentence drift off as a memory floated to mind. Sria's angry face, glaring at her in exasperation. The raging fire on the other side of the garden wall, the shouts and cries as people died, the smoke that hung heavily in the air. And then Sria's words._

You may be the people's servant, but there are times when you life is more important that theirs could ever be. Sometimes you have to let them die.

"_Ava, you need to go," Khai murmured in an undertone, his eyes boring into her. "The rest of us, we are all dead. You are the Resistance's only hope now." There was a silence, stiff and tense, as the two stared at each other, then Khai pressed, "You are their Queen. You must do this. For them. Do you understand?"_

_Tess nodded dumbly, her eyes wet with tears. "I understand."_

"_Where do we take you, my Lady?" the lead soldier asked, after he had decided that the issue of Tess' departure was apparently all worked out. _

_Tess glanced questioningly at Khai. Khai stared at her for a long time, his expression unreadable, then he turned to the soldier and said, "Her Majesty will inform you when she is in the air. It is best if I do not know where she is, just in case I get captured." But there was something in his tone, in the way he said the words 'in case' that caused Tess to look up at him sharply._

_She knew in that moment what Khai had known since the first attack._

_They were not going to survive this war._

"_Shalimar, soldiers, go on board," Khai ordered. "I must speak to Her Majesty alone." The others obeyed the order without question, although Shalimar gave Khai a confused look before she disappeared onto the ship. Tess watched them leave, then turned her attention back to Khai, her eyes wide, her arms clutched tightly around her son._

"_What is it?" she asked, suddenly fearful of what he would say._

_Khai looked at her for a long moment, then said, "When you first arrived here, I told you I did not think you would be able to become a true Queen. I told you that I saw you as useless, as worthless, as a waste of time." He licked his lips and turned away, his eyes dark and filled with troubled thoughts. "I see now that I was wrong."_

_Tess bit her lip to keep from shouting in joy, but the words also pierced her heart as she realized this would be the last time she saw him. She did not like Khai, never had and never would, but she could not help but respect the General. _

_And she would miss him._

"_Come with me," Tess said abruptly, unable to stop the words from leaving her mouth. She wondered briefly whether or not she meant them. But she knew, deep down, that she would morn Khai's death as much as, possibly even more than, the deaths of everyone else._

_Khai responded with a harsh laugh. "If only I could. But there are things that I must do." He reached out and placed a hand on Tess' shoulder. "When you are in the spacecraft, when the soldiers ask you where you want to go, you will truly be on your own. But have faith in your ability to chose the right path, Ava. You have chosen it already by coming here, now it is time to see it through."_

_And then he was gone, disappearing down the hallway and through the doors, and laving Tess alone next to the ship, with her uneasy and distressed thoughts._

Tess forced herself to put one foot in front of the next as she pushed onwards, her eyes shadow with exhaustion. The day had been grueling, and not just physically so. She was emotionally tired, tired of this rollercoaster ride that had been her life. Why couldn't things just be easy for once? Why couldn't things just be plain and simple and straightforward? Why did life have to throw her these twists and turns and spin her round in circles until she couldn't see straight?

Why couldn't she just be happy?

"_Where to, my Lady?" the lead solider, who, Tess recalled after a moment of thought, was named Cree, asked._

_Tess looked at him, then over at Shalimar, unsure. Shalimar stared back at her, unable to provide an answer. Tess sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't know yet. How long before I have to make a decision?"_

"_About twenty minutes, my Lady," Cree replied. He bowed and left Tess alone in the room. After a moment, Shalimar left as well, presumably to see to the controls of the spacecraft as it flew through the sky, leaving Larek's planet far behind._

"_Why, Audin?" Tess asked the empty room. "Why did you do this to us? To me? Were you ever on my side?" She rubbed her tired eyes as a thousand questions plagued her mind. "Why did you wait so long to betray me? You could have told Khivar about my presence so long ago, why did you wait these past two weeks?"_

_Tears welled up in her eyes. "How could you take Sria? How could you sell her out like that, how could you let her die? And Lotho, Tunia, Zyith… Why, Audin?"_

_She walked over to the makeshift crib were her son lay, sleeping soundly. She ran a finger over his silky hair and stared at his angelic face. "What has happened to you, Larek?" she murmured. "And Kani, Khai, Nasuda, Sirch, Trell… Have any of you survived? Or am I alone again? Alone in all this…"_

"_What will they do to your bodies?" Tess continued. "Will they burn you like they did to Lotho, or will they give you a proper burial? Or will they leave your corpses to rot in the palace?"_

_Time was ticking rapidly away, and Tess wiped the tears from her eyes, knowing she needed a plan. She closed her eyes and leaned against the cold, hard metal of the ship, trying to think. _

_What to do? Where to go? Who would take her, who would give her protection? How could she help the people of Antar? What could she do to stop Khivar?_

_Think!_

_And then a flurry of memories appeared in her mind, memories that eventually turned into thoughts, into ideas, and into the rough outline of a plan._

"And everything is being watched? Every secret pathway?"

"Except the one over the Triaji desert."

Khivar was taking cities around the capital. He wanted to bring Vilandra there.

Resistance bases hidden all over Antar. One in the Fel Mountains near the Landra River, near the capital city.

Mt. Sinai. "Sinai is an Antarin word also. It means _fate_."

"There are many different types of connections… Arya can send mental words and images."

"Except the one over the Triaji Desert."

_Tess opened her eyes abruptly, and knew what she had to do. She got up and sought out Shalimar, determined to put her plan into action as soon as possible._

_Shalimar was not so thrilled with the plan, however._

"_You want to cross the desert?" Shalimar demanded, realization dawning on her as Tess outlined her plan. "But…my Lady, that is impossible. We would only be able to take you to the Southern part of the desert, and…" She let his sentence drift off, seeing the determination in Tess' eyes. _

"_I have to do this," Tess replied quietly. "It is the only way."_

_There was a silence, then Shalimar tried again._

"_My Lady, if we were to give you any form of technological transport, Khivar's soldiers would sense it. They would be able to tell that someone is using a transport in the desert, and they would come to investigate it. They would come to you."_

"_Then I will have to cross it without a transport," Tess replied simply, as though it was the most obvious answer in the world._

"_On foot?" Shalimar asked, incredulous. "That could take you months! If you actually manage to live that long… The Triaji desert will kill you."_

_Tess sighed and shook her head. "I've looked at the maps before. I could cross it in a little over three months."_

"_Your Majesty…"_

_Tess cut Shalimar off with a wave of her hand. "How do you know the desert is impossible to cross? Have you ever tried? Has _anyone _ever tried?"_

_Shalimar shook her head mutely. What could she say to change the Queens mind now that it was already made up?_

_Tess sighed and closed her eyes. "Arya can create mind links. She can link with me every night to guide me to the Resistance base. She can keep me up to date on what is happening. Once I reach the Fel, I can join the Resistance, and they can take me to the battle. To Khivar."_

"_But the war could be over in three months."_

_Tess shook her head. "No," she replied. "No, it won't be. It will take the Resistance more than three months to defeat Khivar's army."_

"_And what if Khivar crushes the Resistance before you have a chance to join them?" Shalimar countered, her eyes darkening with worry._

_But again, Tess had an answer. "The Resistance survived for decades without any of the Royal Four. Tell them that the Queen is coming, and that they only have to hold on for a few more months, and they will manage."_

"_You have quite a lot of faith in them," Shalimar commented._

_Tess nodded. "I do. I have met many leaders of the Resistance, and I have seen their determination and their courage. They will survive."_

_Shalimar was silent for a long time, knowing there was nothing she could do but agree. But how could she agree to a plan that would most likely get the Queen killed?_

"_Shalimar, look at me," Tess ordered. "There are enough provisions on this ship for me to take what food and water my son and I will need with me. You know how to access a secret pathway, you will get us into the desert. Then one of the soldiers here will contact Arya and tell her the plan…one of them must have dream-walking as a power. Meanwhile, Khivar has to return to the capital city eventually if he is to try to bring back Vilandra. Once he is there, the Resistance can keep him occupied until I arrive, then we can engage him in battle right there at the foot of the Fel. At Mt. Sinai. The mountain of fate."_

"_Poetic," Shalimar murmured, looking away in defeat._

_Tess placed a hand on Shalimar's shoulder, forcing the other woman to look at her" Shalimar, it will work. It _has_ to."_

And so she had ended up here. Everything had been so rushed, she had barely had a chance to think since she left the hall of mirrors.

And now she was here.

Alone.

Tess shook her head slowly and stared back and the footprints behind her, the indentations in the sand that slowly faded away as the wind whipped by her. The desert erased her, erased every mark she made, until she was simply a phantom figure, making her solitary way through the expanse of nothingness.

Tess sat down on a rock, her eyes tired, her lips dry and cracked, her throat feeling sore and scratchy. She closed her eyes and sighed, breathing in the stifling hot air. She thought back to Shalimar, to the soldier who had contacted Arya, to the planning stages, to the landing in the desert… She thought of everything except the one memory that haunted her, that she wanted to forget, but that still remained.

She had kept it at bay for so long, but now the memory came to the front, and she didn't even bother trying to push it away.

It wouldn't have done any good.

_They were several kilometers from the surface of the desert, making the descent rather rapidly but with decreasing speed, when one of the soldiers suddenly fell to his knees and cried out in shock and pain. He clutched his head as Cree, Shalimar, and Tess all ran to his side. There was a moment of silence while they waited for him to say something, to explain what was wrong, then he looked up at Tess sharply, his eyes boring into hers._

"_Ava."_

_Tess stared at the soldier in complete shock as it took her mind a moment to comprehend what was happening. He was being possessed._

"_Larek?"_

"_Yes." The soldier leaned forward, apparently in a great deal of pain, although no wounds showed on his skin. "I don't have long, Ava, so you must listen."_

"_I am listening," Tess replied. "But are you hurt?"_

"_Yes," Larek breathed. "Badly. Ava…I won't make it." The soldiers voice was barely more than a whisper._

"_What? What is happening? What is going on?" Tess practically screeched._

"_Audin let Khivar's soldiers in, Ava. He was the traitor all along. But Khai managed to stop him before he did too much harm…and Khai got you away safely…" the soldier gasped, his eyes clouding as he clutched at his stomach. "Khai took the Granolith…I tasked him with getting it…safely off the planet…" It was clear that simply speaking was causing Larek and the possessed soldier a lot of pain._

"_Did he manage it? And the others?" Tess pressed. "What about them?"_

"_They're gone…I think…I don't know…the planet it so…he's destroyed us…Ava. I think the others were not too lucky…I don't know if even Khai escaped, but I think…I hope and pray he did…the Granolith must not fall to Khivar…you understand that?"_

"_Of course," Tess breathed, fear in her eyes as she felt her friend's life force fading. "Oh, Larek, I am so sorry. I brought this on you all. If I had not arrived, Audin would never have betrayed me to Khviar and Khviar would never have attacked…this is all my fault…" She was sobbing now, unable to keep back the tears._

"_Khivar caused our destruction," the soldier spoke quietly, his voice serious but still filled with pain. "Khivar and Audin. Not you." _

"_Why did Audin wait so long to betray me?" Tess asked through her tears._

"_I don't know…" the soldier closed his eyes for a moment, his body tensing. "I don't think… we will ever know why, Ava…he is…dead now…" There was a silence, long and tense, then Larek continued in a barely audible murmur of a reply, "You came back to be the Queen, to save Antar and us."_

"_Larek…"_

"_Don't give up. Don't forget…you are…always the Queen…Always." And then the soldier collapsed forward, slipping into unconsciousness, and Tess realized that Larek's spirit had slipped from his mind and faded away in oblivion. _

_And Tess broke into more sobs at the passing of her friend._

Tess continued walking, but every step was so difficult. She had to put all her effort into each movement. She had to dedicate each attempted stride to someone's memory.

"For you, Alex Whitman, Lotho, Tunia, Zyith, Radim, Trell, Sirch, Nasuda," Tess murmured as she walked. "For the little boy hunting for his sister in Sab, and the two girls in Drasu, for the people killed in the fire in Daila."

Khivar had tried to erase everything. Antar, Larek and his people and planet, Earth, the Royal Four… He had tried to obliterate them all. And he had very nearly succeeded. But he had not won, not yet.

Tess took another step. "For you, Kani," she murmured.

It was so hard to keep going, to walk away from everything she had ever cared about, everything she had ever treasured. All she had now was her son, was the tiny infant huddled in her arms. He was all that mattered, all the was left, of the world she had once known.

Another stride. "For you, Sria."

Another step. "For you, Larek."

And quite suddenly she could hear Larek's words in her head, rebounding around with growing intensity, providing her hope.

_For good or ill, you are the Queen, and it is up to you to decide what you do with that.

* * *

_

The end.

Author's note: The next story in the series will be a one shot, and it will be called "Interlude: Rembrance," and it will take us back to Earth. So keep an eye out for it, it should be up within a couple weeks, but I'm going out of town (and away from a computer) for a while, so it may take a bit before it gets posted.

Also, just to clear up everything in this story, I purposely did not answer several of the questions so that you could think up your own answers. I give no reason why Audin waited so long to betray Tess, or if he was ever on their side to start with, or why he betrayed them all. Audin's story is one you will have to create on your own, and I imagine that everyone will come up with different answers, so it would be kind of cool if you posted them as reviews for everyone to see. I may post my own theory as a review as well, if enough people show interest in that.

Also, while I am not going to explain how everyone died, I will tell you that, of the main characters in this story, only Tess, her son, Arya (who has been on Antar for the past several chapters), Khai, and Shalimar are still alive. The others were killed in the attack. I don't know how they were killed or if they were given a proper burial or any of that. All the blanks are left there for you to fill in on your own.

However, what happens to Larek's planet after the attack, and the adventures of Khai and the Granolith _will _be dealt with in following stories as they will play a pivotal role in my series.


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